Bring me home
by LAIsobel
Summary: Another possible take on how season 3 is about to start and deal with the pressing issues of the Station 19 crew. Multichapter fic. Ah spring 2020 is just so damn far away! And yes, I am Andy and Sully shipper in case you were wondering. Rating to be sure.
1. Maya

**A/N** I've got no excuses for the long absence. Sorry folks. Sometimes real life needs to come first. Especially when you're a mother.

Let's take another look on how possible season 3 can start. Ha. You're gonna hate me. Just a warning ahead.

**Spoilers/Timeline** – up to the season 2 finale

* * *

Maya Bishop thought life couldn't surprise her anymore. After everything she'd seen and been through there was little that could happen to make her wonder. And yet she somehow, and she still didn't know how exactly that happened, developed some kind of affection for Jack Gibson. Universe had a weird sense of humor apparently.

Well to her utter surprise it seemed to be working just great between them so far. She refused to analyze it. She just went with it, enjoyed it and tried not to screw up something that could make her happy.

Then they had to take the trip down to L.A. and she witnessed a wildfire. Not many firefighters have the honor in their lives. Not those that live in Seattle for example. It shook her world and turned it upside down. Knowing that just by jolly coincidence they made it out alive she had to admit that she had the wildfires in dear respect.

But then Nicole appeared. And she was not Nicole. She was Nikki. Dean's Nikki. And she stood there frozen to the spot and there was a warning bell ringing in her head that her world was about to be torn apart once more. And this time she was not ready for it and what was even worse, she didn't know how to battle it.

Miller asked them if they wanted to cancel the brunch but they both said no. They said they were okay. That they could do this. That happened in the past stayed in the past. But it was awkward. So damn awkward. Not the fact that they looked like damn Beverly Hills 90210 or even the fact that it was bad enough that Gibson used to date Andy before. But the silence that stretched over them was deafening. When Gibson started to talk about something and Miller joined him, she participated and soon and slowly they actually made it to the point of some adult conversation over brunch.

But Maya couldn't shake down the fact that woman that broke her heart just when she needed her the most in that point of her life was now making Miller so happy. Was she about to do the same to him? Throw him overboard? Or was this different as it was different with Gibson for her? And was it even her place to say something?

The argument she had with Nicole before Nicole broke up with her was … monstrous. And she pushed past her limits in training then. She needed to redirect her focus and energy someplace else. In retrospective she could tell that they were not supposed to be, that it wouldn't work and that it was not one-sided but still. It was just so damn weird.

After two hours she couldn't go on anymore and was happy the brunch was over. Nicole left as she had to go to work and Miller and Gibson didn't really know how to act when she was gone. And Maya couldn't stand the pressure anymore. So she excused herself and left as well. She walked home and knew she desperately needed to talk to Andy. She needed her best friend.

When she finally arrived home she realized that talking was the last thing she wanted to do. So she opened the door ready to face her room-mate. She needed to anchor her life again after this morning and knew that with Andy she could that just that.

She wasn't ready to find her sitting on the kitchen floor staring into empty space. Something happened and it wasn't good. And Maya's world wouldn't stop spinning huh?

She walked over to her friend and sat down opposite her.

"Hey." Maya said.

"Hey. You're back. How was your brunch?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay."

"What happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it either."

"Okay."

And so they both sat there on the floor and despite everything the presence of each other helped them to calm down a bit.

"Are you tired?"

"No. Yes. I don't know." Maya replied.

"Hungry?"

"I just had brunch." Maya pointed out.

"It's almost noon." Andy said then and Maya had to look at the clock on the wall to realize that they had to be sitting there on the floor for much longer that she had usually thought.

"Wow. I didn't even notice."

"Me neither. But I'm hungry."

"Any preferences?"

"I could use a pizza." Andy said after a moment.

"Oh yes. And ice cream." Maya beamed up at her.

"French fries." Andy added. "A lot of them."

"Cheesecake." Maya continued and they looked much happier.

"You call Luigi to get the pizza and ice-cream."

"And you call Rossie." Maya named a diner over the corner where they had the best cheesecake and fries they could get around there.

Soon the food was delivered and they sat down around the coffee table in the living room to have a feast. They both changed into comfortable clothes and pulled up their hair into messy buns. They just didn't feel like doing anything. They just wanted to have the food to cheer up their moods.

They haven't said a word.

"You still don't want to talk about it?" Andy asked Maya.

"You're curious." Maya replied and added "And you? Do you want to talk about it?"

"We're good." Andy said then and both smiled. Yeah being best friends was a good thing.

Before they could properly enjoy the food there was a knock on the door. They both lost colour from their faces, each expecting somebody else behind the door and both dreading it.

Maya noticed how totally horrified Andy looked and so just she called "It's open!". Vic walked in, closed the door and watched her friends on the floor around the table.

"Hey Vic."

"Hey. Wow."

"Wow what?"

"Junk food. The good kind."

"And?"

"I know why I need junk food but why you?" Vic said and taking off her jacket she sat down to them.

"We're not talking about it." Andy said.

"Take a fork and dig in." Maya added. Vic didn't complain.

Once the food was mostly gone they sat there, drinking coffee and they were just resting in comfortable silence.

"Why did you come anyway?"

"I thought we're not talking about our horrible mornings." Vic replied with a grin. Andy threw a pillow at her.

"Montgomery has been arrested. For the bar fight. The guy's pressing charges." Vic told them and it totally got their attention.

"What? How? When?" They asked in unison.

"We got to my place and … I finally slept in my own bed." Vic said and both Maya and Andy looked sad and compassionate.

"Montgomery was there with me. We ordered food and I fell asleep."

"And?"

"And then I hear somebody banging on my door so I open up and there's this policeman informing me they're taking him into custody and that Travis asked them to wake me up and tell me so I wouldn't worry."

"You're kidding."

"I didn't know what to say."

"I wouldn't know either."

"He told me to get him a lawyer and took him away."

Vic told them and sipped her coffee. They were all shocked and wondering about what to do.

"We need to call someone."

"I already have. I called Sullivan. I thought he could know about someone." As she said his name Andy felt something in her chest squeeze the air out of her lungs. She was unable to talk.

"What did he say?"

"He didn't pick up. I thought he could be asleep too so I called your dad." She told Andy but didn't notice the shadow in her eyes. Maya did though.

"He said he would put things into motion and in half an hour Sullivan called and told me he would take care of it."

"I can't believe it."

"Yeah, me neither. That idiot. Getting into a bar fight!" And Vic was really mad.

"They guys said that Heffington was being an ass." Maya pointed out.

"And so he had to beat him? Since when is Montgomery the guy to beat the crap out of somebody?"

"Maybe since it's his best friend who just lost her fiancée that's being insulted." Andy said and they both looked at her.

"What? Me? He didn't tell me." Vic replied.

"I know it from Ryan. He talked to him back then. Heffington was being an ass. Montgomery was drunk and wanted to defend you."

"He's an idiot!" Vic said furiously. But she looked touched.

"You're his best friend."

"Damn it."

And so they all moved and sat next to each other on the couch. Each lost in her own thoughts. Each one hurting, tired and confused. They all together strong but separately vulnerable.

Vic was close to tears but refused to let them fall. She looked at her friends and couldn't but wonder what happened to them this morning so they looked as bad as she did.

"Your turn girls. Come on. Tell me."

Andy had her eyes closed and was deep in thought. Maya noticed and despite her inner battle she reached over and took her hand in hers. Vic didn't say anything anymore and just watched them.

"I met Nikki today." Maya said in the end.

"She's nice isn't she?" Vic replied.

"She's my ex." Maya told her and part of her silently enjoyed the pure shock on her friends' face.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. My ex Nicole."

"Now I understand why you needed the junk food. Miller's dating your ex. Oh damn girl. I thought my life was messy but this is pretty heavy load too."

"Tell me about it. We made it through two agonizing hours of double brunch date."

Vic replied and looked at Andy. She fell asleep. She showed Maya and she just moved to make her more room on the couch and covered her with a blanket. They walked to the kitchen then.

"Did she tell you anything?"

"Nothing. She was already home when I got here. Upset."

"Do you think it's because of Ryan?" Vic asked but Maya didn't have an answer.

"Yeah me neither."

"Something had to happen when we left the Station this morning."

"Something with her dad?"

"No, he sounded okay when I called him." Vic said. "Maybe something with Sullivan? But they were on good terms recently, right?"

"Yeah, they were." Maya replied. She didn't offer anything else as she was already thinking about possible reasons. What could have possibly happened between Andy and Sullivan that would make her look this down?

"I'll go. Sullivan promised to call once he knows something."

"Okay. Let me know."

"Yeah, I'll let you all know. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure." Maya replied and Vic left. Maya closed the door and could only wonder. She had a few theories but given the state of mind Andy was in she didn't like any of those. All meant troubles and future changes at Station 19. So yet again her life was surely about to change. But this time she worried more about her best friend.

* * *

_A/N what do you think about first chapter? I am not sure when I will post again as I'm leaving for a couple of days. This is sort of an intro. We'll continue as usually with all the characters and flashbacks and all. Just imagine this as the first scene before the intro hits us. What do you think?_


	2. Sully

_Okay folks. I like my stories to be accurate as much as they can. So with a help of a dear friend we came up with some chronological order of events from the lives of the crew and I'm going to stick to them. If you disagree, let me know. And I apologize for the delay, I'm a busy mum :)_

* * *

It was Friday evening and it was one of those evenings you knew you would never forget no matter how hard you would try. Robert Sullivan thought back to previous hours and knew that they would stick with him for the rest of his lives.

In the morning everything looked okay. They made it back from L.A. and he even didn't chicken out and waited at the Station, taking care of everything possible only to have a reason to stay – and to talk to Andy. Couple of months ago he wouldn't even think of it but after recent events and after watching Hughes bury Luke with broken heart he couldn't pretend anymore. Something was happening between him and Andy and he didn't know what it was. But he started to care about her, he started to value her friendship and after what they've been put through he needed to be sure they were okay.

Were they okay? Almost dying together again made him think. The whole way back from L.A. he had time to think – a lot. And when they met in the morning after everyone left he had the idea of running away but then it dawned on him that he couldn't do that. He needed to know they were okay. He just didn't want to run from this kind of things anymore. And so he stopped her and wanted to talk. Little she knew he had no idea what to say.

But things escalated and then fate had this sick sense of humour. Of course something had to happen. Of course he couldn't just be happy now could he? Nope. Andy left and he knew he just screwed up. He let her go. He told her to go. And she did. She left.

In two hours nothing changed. His leg wouldn't cooperate. There was no feeling in it. He tried all the tricks he had learnt after the Aid Car crash but nothing happened. He couldn't move. And he knew he shouldn't. He would call for help but for one thing he didn't have anyone to call he could think of right then and for second, his phone was too far away, someplace in his bag he had dropped when Andy surprised him with her kiss.

Damn they even didn't think about taking their bags with them when they stumbled into his bunk. Now that would have been interesting should anyone come and find their bags and locked door.

"Sullivan, you here?" Suddenly he heard Pruitt Herrera. Well...

"I'm in here." He called back.

In a moment Pruitt walked in and stopped dead at the doorway watching him, trying to assess the situation.

"What..." Pruitt started but Sullivan just closed his eyes.

"My leg gave out."

"What do you mean?"

"I lost all feeling in it, can't move it, there's nothing." Sullivan admitted. Pruitt didn't say anything.

"I would call my doctor but my phone is God knows where. I think I heard it ringing not long ago but..."

"That was Hughes. When she didn't get hold of you she called me."

"Is everything okay?" Sullivan got instantly worried. Pruitt didn't fail to notice that the man forgot all about his current situation and thought about his people first.

"Montgomery got arrested. Heffington is pressing charges."

"Damn the bastard."

"Yeah, the cops found Montgomery at Hughes' place this morning."

"Her first day back home." Sullivan said and Pruitt nodded. He could understand. "And as her best friend he was of course with her."

"Yeah, he was. And talked the cops into informing her about his situation. So she called you and then me."

"What can I do?"

"He needs a lawyer." Pruitt answered and took out his phone. He dialled Sullivan's number and followed the ringing. He found his bag by the reception and took it to him.

"You left it by reception." He told him.

"Yeah, I wanted to change and then my leg screwed me over." Sullivan answered. So Andy had to put his bag there. Even while totally mad at him and feeling God knows what she took the time to put his bag to the reception so it wouldn't stay by the cars. She was one of a kind, wasn't she? Damn again.

Sullivan called Hughes and talked to her. He promised her he would do anything he could to help him. And he meant it.

"Do you know someone we can call about this?"

"Yeah, although I am not sure she's gonna pick up the phone when she sees my name on the screen." Sullivan said and sighed heavily. Dialling up number he hadn't dialled in ages he waited. Pruitt didn't leave. He was too curious. Besides he could always say Sullivan needed medical assistance.

Pruitt listened to him when he talked to woman named Eleanor. Sullivan leaned back and it seemed he had completely forgotten about Herrera being there. After ten minutes he said his goodbyes and put down the phone.

Pruitt gave him time. He didn't want to ask but damn he was curious. In the past year he got to know this man a bit better and he had to admit that he had gained his respect. His path wasn't easy and he had to admire him in a very specific way.

"She was my wife's best friend."

"Oh."

"I haven't really talked to her in quite some time."

"I see."

"No, I mean we've been in touch but..."

"Relax, Sullivan, I really do get it." Pruitt said and Sullivan looked at him. And there was this kind of silent understanding between them.

"Yeah, I guess you do."

"So?"

"She's a lawyer and she's really good. She'll try to help Montgomery. She will call once she knows something."

"So you trust her?"

"I do. If there's a way from this mess, she'll find it."

"Okay." Pruitt said. That was enough for him.

"Now you should probably make one more call."

"I know." Sullivan answered and called his doctor from Grey Sloan.

"Hey, doc, it's me, Sully. I'm sorry to bother you but it seems I have a problem..." He said and explained the problem to her. "No, I haven't moved. Knew better than to try." He answered few more questions then. "Okay, so I'll come over." He looked and Pruitt and said "I have a ride, don't worry. Thank you." He ended the call.

Pruitt knew that it had to cost him a lot to openly admit he would rely on somebody else but it made him even more proud. Damn it was a good call to tell Ripley to bring Sullivan back to Seattle.

"Sir would you mind driving me to Grey Sloan?" Sully asked anyway. Pruitt snorted and threw a t-shirt at him.

"Can you hop on one leg or do we need a gurney and an ambulance?"

"I can hop." Sully replied with a smile. He put on the t-shirt, texted Hughes to update her on the situation and then with Pruitt's help he hopped to the car and let him drive him to the hospital.

Pruitt helped him to get to the reception. Sullivan told the nurse about his issue and she checked that she already had everything ready for him. His doctor made sure he'd be taken care of.

"Pruitt, can you keep this between us for now?" He asked nervously.

"Sure, if that's what you want."

"I don't want to tell the team till I know what's going on. They've been put through a lot already."

And there was nothing Pruitt could say to that.

"I'll call the Chief once I know something."

"And me." Pruitt added and Sullivan nodded.

"Thank you. For everything." Sullivan told Pruitt and watched him go.

And now after series of tests done on him he was lying in bed, his leg still felt totally off and he was losing both hope and his patience. His mind was racing. What was going to happen? Would he feel his leg again? Would he not? What about his job? What about his life? What about his people? He couldn't even try to imagine what would happen to 19 should he be crippled and unfit for duty. They would surely manage with someone new but still it was difficult. He grew to like them, to respect them and he had told them so. Andy had been right. He had to open up more. And he tried. He came out of his comfort zone, he tried and he managed. And he was so proud of them.

Selfishly he didn't want anyone else running the station. He began to feel at home there and could totally understand why Luke liked 19 so much. They were just something else. And he didn't want to lose them.

And it struck him then that after what happened in the morning he might already have. If Andy ... damned. He so didn't need to have problems with his leg now. Just no!

Finally his doctor came.

"Hey Sully. Sorry it took me so long. I'm sure you're nervous."

"You have no idea, doc."

"I had to consult your results to be sure."

"So it's not good."

"Well it's not entirely bad either."

"You're scaring me doc." Sullivan said and watched his doctor sit down and sigh.

"You said you had kicked a lock door."

"That's right. I felt pain in my knee then but it passed and everything was okay."

"Are you in any pain now?"

"Not at all. I feel nothing." He said and the doctor noticed how his voice was far from the steady one he usually had.

And so she took pity on him and spent next thirty minutes trying to explain to him what was wrong. He didn't really listen to her after the first few minutes when his world collapsed. His brain picked the words like nerve damage, surgery, repair of the pathway, fixing cartilage... he had to stop the doctor few times to get back on track as he was losing focus.

"Robert?" She asked when he was not responding. She could understand. This was difficult.

"Sorry..." He apologized and didn't even try to hide how afraid he was. How scared.

"Could you just..." He tried but couldn't finish.

"Look, the main point is that there is a big chance you're gonna be okay. You need a surgery. Maybe not just one but that we won't know for some time. You know how slowly these things go. The healing needs time."

"So a surgery. And then rehab."

"Absolutely. And medication. The good thing is that this injury most probably has nothing to do with your previous one."

"I just kicked the damn door."

"Yeah, you kicked the damn door. And you hurt yourself. In the line of your duty."

"It sucks." He told her and she smiled at him.

"It does. But I'm not giving up on you or your leg."

"Okay. Then we'll just make it through this, right?"

"You came back from worse." She said then and got up.

"I already made arrangements. Get some sleep and the surgery is scheduled for early morning."

"Thank you, doc. Really." He told her and she left him alone.

And for the first time in a really long time he couldn't help himself when he cried. Everything was wrong and he had no faith in better tomorrow. Not this time. He knew what the doc said and it was all making sense but he also knew that by kicking that door he might have irreversibly damaged his leg. This wasn't about swelling around his spine or exercising movement. This was worse.

He wished he had someone to call and talk to but realized that he didn't. Not really. But he had a few calls to make. He had a text from El so he had to call her back. Then he promised Hughes he would let her know if there was anything new so he would. Then Pruitt and the new Chief. The ceremony hadn't taken place yet but they all were informed about the new Chief and he needed to talk to him.

So taking a few deep breaths he took his phone and dialed it up.


	3. Michael Wayne

_I'm on the roll and we're getting darker... Muhehehe..._

* * *

„So what do you think?" Maya asked Vic as they stood in front of the fridge in the beanery on Monday morning.

"I don't know. Maybe I could skip healthy breakfast for once?"

"I'm thinking the same. Because that cake looks delicious."

"Do we know who brought it?"

"Do we need to know?"

"What if it's a surprise or something?"

"Then it shouldn't be in the fridge like this."

"Hmm true. Cut the cake, I'll make coffee."

"Deal."

And so Maya took the chocolate raspberry cake from the fridge and put it onto the counter. She reached for the plates and forks. Vic started on coffee.

Gibson and Miller came and noticed their choice for breakfast.

"Wow what's the occasion?" Gibson asked. Maya smiled at him and he smiled back.

"I don't care. It's cake." Miller said and Vic beamed up at him. "Absolutely." But Miller was hungry so he took it upon himself to make something else. There were eggs and bacon and so he could at least make some food for men if women were okay with only cake. He knew he would get hungry too soon should he eat only cake for breakfast.

"Anyone heard from Warren?"

"No actually. But I guess he's gonna bring us the good news today."

"I don't know. I don't like it that he's leaving us." Maya said.

"But he's good. He's Medic One material." Miller replied.

"True. But he's one of us. Not them." Vic added and they could only agree. They were happy for him but they would miss him terribly.

Andy came then and looked okay. She greeted them all.

"Hey, where did you disappear in the morning?" Maya asked.

"I needed some air so…"

"You okay?" Maya asked, concerned.

"Yeah, sure. Hungry."

"Get some cake, Herrera." Miller said and Andy smiled and didn't hesitate. But then she noticed his eggs and looked at him pleadingly so he shared his eggs and bacon with her. They all seemed fine and okay and it was a welcomed change.

"Okay I know we agreed not to ask but I have to. Do you know something about Travis?" Gibson asked Hughes.

"Well not much. Sullivan got him a lawyer. She went to see him on Friday and said she would call as soon as possible."

"I still can't believe it." Maya said.

"Yeah well Montgomery shouldn't have gotten so drunk."

"And Heffington is an idiot."

"On that we agree."

They kept on talking when there was a knock on the door to the beanery. And their new Chief walked in. At first they didn't know who he was but then noticed the label on his jacket.

"Good morning, Sir." Maya reacted first.

"Good morning. I know this is a surprise."

"Coffee?" Hughes asked him as she just stood up to have a refill.

"Yeah, why not, thanks." He thanked her as she handed him a cup. He leaned against the counter and watched them all sitting at the table.

"I know we haven't officially met so… I'm Michael Wayne and I'm your new Chief. And I know this is a bit awkward but I have a couple of things I need to talk to you about and I prefer to talk face to face if that's okay with you."

They all agreed. Then Warren came in. He wasn't wearing his uniform but the Chief just greeted him.

"Warren. Good morning."

"Morning, Sir. Sorry, I'm late, I got stuck in traffic." Warren apologized and the Chief just nodded. Warren sat down and waited with the others. Maya noticed that the Chief and their colleague seemed to know each other.

"So first things first. As you might have noticed, your Captain isn't here. He won't be coming in today."

"What? Why not?" Gibson reacted with question mark written all over his face.

"I'm sorry people but Sully's been admitted to hospital on Friday." And the following silence was deafening.

"Couple of days ago while you guys were in L.A. he got hurt."

"What do you mean, hurt?" Hughes asked.

"In the line of duty he hurt his leg." Chief answered.

"How?" Miller asked.

"He kicked a locked door." Andy said then. "He tried to kick it open so we could find shelter from the fire when it was spreading our way."

"You didn't mention this before." Hughes replied and noticed that her friend was not really okay. Her face was full of emotions. She looked at Bishop and she noticed it too.

"So how did you…?" Gibson asked.

"There was a pool. We jumped into a pool and stayed underwater till the fire was gone. I saw him limping but he was okay then. I…" And she didn't finish, lost in thought.

"Sir, how is he?" Miller asked the Chief.

"He got admitted on Friday as he had lost feeling in his leg suddenly and couldn't move it. On Saturday morning he had a surgery to repair his knee. I won't go to details, that's up to him."

"But?" Maya prompted as she could tell there was a but coming.

"The surgery didn't go as well as the doctor had hoped. There were complications and Sully lost a lot of blood. They saved him, don't worry but he still hasn't regained consciousness. I can't tell you more as I don't know more myself. I'm not his next of kin and they won't tell me."

They were all silent. Maya looked at Andy and saw the tears in the corners of her eyes and knew that the depressed mood she had whole weekend had to do something with Sullivan. Not she got her confirmation. And she knew Hughes noticed too. And they also noticed that the Chief talked about their Captain by his nickname so it seemed they knew each other.

"Where is he?" Warren asked.

"Do you have to ask?" The Chief replied. Warren took out his phone immediately and dialed the Grey Sloan hospital. He tried to get some information on Sullivan's condition and after talking to a third person he finally got some. He thanked the doctor.

"His vitals are getting better, his leg is in good condition and reacting to stimuli although not everywhere." Warren said. "But he hasn't woken up yet."He added and they all felt the weight of it dawn on them.

The Chief gave them a moment. "He called me on Friday evening from the hospital so I went over and we talked about the upcoming weeks. He asked me not to give you a new Captain."

"So?" Bishop asked.

"So Lieutenant Gibson is being promoted and starting today he's your Acting Captain for the time being."

Gibson choked on his coffee.

"Me? Are you sure, Sir?" And he knew that with his record this was very unlikely.

"I asked your Captain. And he gave me your name. He trusts you. That's enough for me. Is it enough for you?" He asked back.

"Definitely, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

"Don't let your Captain down, Gibson."

"I won't."

"I know that you all are fond of Pruitt Herrera and I talked to him as well. He said you could call should there be anything you need help with. But I want you to know that you can call me as well."

"Sir?"

"Look, I'm new in this too and I know you all are still a bit rough after losing Luke and then being called to the wildfire. I'd like to have your respect as your Chief. I'd like you to trust me as I'd like to trust you. But that takes work. So I'm just saying, Gibson, that if I can help you with something, just call me. Is that okay?"

Gibson looked around and they all seemed okay with the situation, some even smiled with encouragement.

"Yeah, it's okay. Thank you, Chief." Gibson answered.

"Good. Now, second thing. Sully told me about the situation regarding Travis Montgomery. I talked to his lawyer. I also talked to Jeremy Heffington and his lawyer. They're working on resolving the issue."

And there was nothing they could say to that. They could only hope Travis would get out of it.

"Montgomery's lawyer is Eleanor Holmes. I told her she could stop by or call if she needed anything."

"Absolutely, Sir." Hughes said. They would do anything to help Montgomery.

"Warren, can I talk to you?" Chief asked and Warren nodded. "Can we use your office, Gibson?" Chief asked and Gibson agreed of course. "If you don't mind, Sir, we can talk here. They would ask anyway." Warren said but it didn't come out as a joke as he wanted to.

"All right then. I got a call from Carter from Medic One." Chief Wayne said and Warren nodded. "I also got the official memo this morning."

"He didn't waste time, huh." Warren said.

"Why don't you look happy, Ben?" Maya asked. "You should be happy."

Warren sighed and after taking a look at the Chief he said: "The interview didn't go well. Quite the opposite exactly. They did their homework, had my whole professional history in one folder. They wanted to talk about every damn time I didn't strictly follow protocol."

"Crap." Gibson said and Warren could only agree.

"So I guess that Carter called to tell you I'm the worst of the worst and you should at least fire me." Warren told the Chief.

"Yeah, sadly you're pretty close."

"You're kidding." Miller said.

"Look, Warren, this isn't an easy situation. I talked to Carter before going to see Sully so I have his opinion about the situation as well."

"Do I get fired?"

"No, you don't. I got the official memo with complaint about your behavior on duty regarding following protocols and so on but Sully told me a lot about you and I trust him."

"What do you mean, Sir?"

"Your Captain has your back and I don't report to Medic One, they're part of the team but they're not Seattle FD."

"No, Sir."

"No, Sir?"

"No, Sir. You should follow protocol. Don't take me wrong, I really appreciate the offer and I'm honored by the faith Captain Sullivan has in me but you should follow protocol. Do what you have to and I'll wait."

"Are you sure, Warren?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Okay then. You're suspended for the time being before I check the complaint filed by Director Carter from Medic One."

"Understood, Sir." Warren said and others could hardly believe it.

Chief's phone started to ring so he picked it up and after a moment asked Gibson if he still could use his office. And so he left and sat down in one of the chairs in Captain's office.

Up in the beanery everyone was quiet. They certainly didn't see this coming.

"I think I need more chocolate cake." Hughes said and reached for the cake again. Others started to talk and soon the conversation was flowing like any other morning. But soon Warren put away his cup and plate and they all straightened up.

"You're really going?"

"I don't have a choice. I talked to Wayne before and he seems like a decent guy. I don't want to cause him troubles. It's better this way."

"Okay. But don't be a stranger." Gibson said and Warren agreed.

"If you have something about Sullivan or Montgomery, call me."

"We will, Warren." Hughes assured him and they all watched him go.

Maya looked at Vic and they both glanced at Andy. But she wasn't at her place by the table. They even didn't notice her leaving the beanery. They shared a worried look. And soon Gibson left as well.

Gibson went to see if the Chief was already gone. But he wasn't. He was still in the office and not behind the table. That surprised Gibson a bit. He knocked on the doorframe and walked inside.

"Sir, you got a moment?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I am not sure if Captain Sullivan told you but there's one issue I want you to know about."

"I am familiar with your record, Gibson."

"I would be surprised if you wouldn't but that's not it."

"Ah, okay. So what then?"

"It's about Lieutenant Bishop, Sir. We're romantically involved." Gibson said and the Chief didn't reply to that. "I just wanted you to know with this temporary promotion and all."

"Thank you for telling me. I appreciate that." He replied.

"You knew." Gibson said after a moment.

"I knew. Sully told me when he suggested you should run 19 in his absence. He told me you were both professionals and I trust you'll keep it that way. I'm okay with it, Gibson, as long as you keep it out of the Station."

"Okay, good. Thank you, Sir." Gibson replied and smiled at him. Wayne left the Station and Gibson started to work. He had a lot to do after two days away from the Station.


	4. Monday

Bishop and Hughes met by the sink as they were putting away their dirty cups and plates. Vic looked around and making sure nobody paid attention to them she looked at Bishop.

"What's up with Herrera? She seemed off."

"Yeah, I know." Maya said and didn't really want to go to details but realized that Vic had already noticed.

"Did something happen between her and Sullivan? Did she tell you anything?" Vic tried again.

"No, she didn't."

"They're close so maybe she's just worried." Vic suggested.

"Maybe… " Maya replied but wasn't that sure of it.

"Wait, do you think they might have gotten too close?" Hughes asked and Bishop looked around swiftly to make sure nobody heard. That totally caught Vic's attention.

"They're close." Maya agreed and Vic shot her a look.

"Close as they still have coffees together or close as she finds her underwear in his living room?" Vic asked and Maya smacked her arm.

"Hey!" Vic protested.

"Don't go there."

"So you think they… like that close?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask. Maybe. Maybe not. But she cares. She's like that."

"Sure. She's just worried." Vic said and Maya nodded.

"Yeah, she's just worried." Maya replied and although they agreed they both knew that neither actually believed it. They both had the distant feeling that their friend found herself in kind of a messy situation.

Maya tried to find Andy because she guessed her friend could use, well, a friend. She didn't know what happened between her and Sullivan but something definitely did. And she couldn't shake the feeling that it went way past the last Friday.

Andy seemed shaken by the information about him being in the hospital more than the rest of them. Of course they all cared about him, he was their Captain and he had their backs but this seemed different. Personal.

Maya walked through the Station and found Andy checking the Engine and re-stocking supplies. She was keeping herself busy. She didn't look distraught though. Maya walked to her and waited.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just checking up on you."

"I'm fine."

"Are you?"

"Yeah, I just want to do my job. And as I don't know if I'm on the Aid Car today or no I just thought I could start here." Andy told her without stopping in her movements. Maya stepped in front of her to stop her.

"Andy."

"What?"

"Do you need to talk?" Maya asked sincerely. "You know you can tell me anything, right? We're friends. Best friends." Maya added and Andy exhaled. She took a deep breath.

"I know. And I'm sorry."

"Andy…"

"Don't, okay? I can't. Not now."

"All right. Later then?"

"Maybe." Andy said and right then the dispatch called for Aid 19 with Engine 19 and they all met by the cars along with Gibson as he told them who had which duty today.

Going through the rooster he found a major problem. So although he didn't really want to, he called his new Chief.

"Sir? I' sorry to bother you."

"No problem, Gigbson. What can I do for you?"

"Well I was going through the rooster and with the Captain being out, Montgomery and Warren not on active duty, no matter how I think about it, we're just couple of hands short.

"Damn, I hadn't thought of that." The Chief replied on the other end of the phone.

"Well I'm just not sure how to proceed. The last time we asked Captain Herrera to be with us, at least on the reception. But he's employed now so can we use him? Or do I ask the dispatch not to give us any major calls?"

"Hmm that's a valid question. I'll look into it ASAP and will let you know."

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

Couple of blocks away in the County Jail Travis Montgomery was sitting on the bench he had in his cell, waiting. He was dressed in the jail overall and he hated it but he did as his lawyer told him to and just followed all the rules they had, didn't make any comments, didn't make problems, he didn't talk to anyone.

He was going nuts.

When on Friday evening his lawyer came he thought it was a joke. She greeted him, asked the cop to the close the door as she would like to talk to her client alone. Travis just stared at her.

"Ehm, I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"My name is Eleanor Holmes. And I'm a lawyer. We have a common friend."

"Who?"

"Bobby Sullivan."

"Wait a minute, Bobby as in my Captain Robert Sullivan?"

"Yes. He called me to inform me about your situation and asked me if I could take your case and be your lawyer. Or if you don't agree I can go." She told him and he regarded her for a moment.

"If Sullivan trusts you, it's enough for me. So hi, I'm Travis."

"Hi Travis." She smiled at him and he told her all about what happened in the bar and all about this morning. She listened patiently.

"So you got into a bar fight after your Chief's funeral. Is that correct?"

"Yes. But it wasn't about that."

"The report says you attacked Mr. Heffington."

"I think I did. I mean he was… Look, when Chief Ripley was in the hospital, Heffington had some nasty remarks about Vic."

"You mean Victoria Hughes, Chief's fiancé?"

"Yes. I'm not sure if you know but they kept it a secret. They wanted to find some solution so they could stay both in the department. It has never affected their work, nobody noticed. I knew because she told me as her best friend. So it was a surprise for everyone in the hospital. And Heffington was being rude. I told him to shut up back then."

"And you continued in the bar?"

"I was a bit drunk in that bar. I was going through something personal at the time and he was being an ass. He was picking on Vic and Ripley and making remarks about her character."

"So you wanted to defend your friend."

"My best friend who was devastated after losing the man she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him." Montgomery said and couldn't keep the emotions from his voice.

"Did you ask him not to talk like that?"

"I did. And not just once."

"So it ended as a bar fight."

"Yeah. We would both get arrested but he complained about his nose and shoulder so they took him to hospital instead."

"He's still in the hospital and he's pressing charges."

"He has every right to. I did punch him. And not just once. And I'm sorry it came to that, I really am. I never meant to fight with him. I never fight."

"It's good you're genuinely sorry, Travis."

"What's the worst that can happen to me?" He needed to know so she told him about the possible outcomes. "But I think it won't come to that. We have a lot of witnesses and it all happened under certain circumstances. I'm not saying you're probably going to walk away without punishment but I'll be damned if I let them put you in jail for this." She told him and he actually believed her.

"Look, Travis, I'll have to go over the evidence, all the reports from witnesses and I'll also contact Mr. Heffington's lawyer to talk to him. I'll get you out but it won't be today and most probably not before the beginning of next week. Do you think you can manage?"

He had to swallow at the implications but he nodded. "Yeah, I can manage. Just do what you can."

"I will."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How do you know Captain Sullivan?" Travis asked and Eleanor was surprised he hadn't asked before.

"His wife was a lawyer. She was my best friend." She said and he could tell she still missed her. He knew that feeling.

"We kind of thought he didn't really have any friends." Montgomery replied, thinking about his Captain and all he didn't know about him.

"Well after the funeral he left to Montana. It was breaking him to pieces when he was in Seattle, he needed to go away. I understood as I would probably go too in his place. We stayed in touch although I must say I was surprised to get a call from him. He values you, Travis. It had to cost him a lot to call me after all the time." Eleanor said and he had more to think about.

"Do me a favor, Travis. Don't argue with anyone here, don't make problems, don't talk about what happened. Just do as they ask you and wait. I'll do my best, all right?"

"You have my word."

She said her goodbyes and left. Montgomery spent the evening at the Police station and waited and waited and to his surprise they transferred him to County Jail on Saturday morning. He got a call from Eleanor telling him to stay strong, that things were put into motion before she could affect it but promised him she was working on it.

Well so he hoped she really way. He could be only grateful that he was alone in the cell and far away from the bad guys in the jail. At least something. Being gay and a firefighter wasn't really good when you're in jail.

He was hoping she would call today or stop by or take him away from here. But he knew he had made a mistake in the bar with Heffington and he knew he would have to pay for it. But deep down he knew that should that bastard insult Vic again, he probably punch him in the face again.

It was way almost 6PM when a cop came to his cell and asked him to stand up. He took him to a room where he could talk to his lawyer. Eleanor was already waiting there.

"Hey Travis, how are you holding up?"

"Hello. I'm good."

"Okay. I'll go straight to the point, all right?"

"Yeah, shoot." He said ready to hear something terrible.

"So today during the day I talked to a lot of people and couple of hours ago I met with Heffington's lawyer."

"Didn't go well, now, did it?" He asked already feeling the weight of the stupid fight crashing him.

"Well… there were witnesses in that bar. Some tried to speak in his favor. But most of them told their honest opinion. Plus the bartender presented the police with security feed. It almost backed up your version of events but it wasn't enough." Eleanor said and looked at Travis.

"I did a little digging and I found out that Heffington used to live in Minnesota and took part in three bar fights within one year. So that made big ugly spot on his character profile."

"Okay. So he has fought before. How does that change my situation?"

"With all I had in my hands including the statements from your friends and colleagues, I had some solid cards to play at the meeting with Heffington's lawyer. Read this." She said and handed him a folder.

Montgomery opened it up and there was a deal made between his lawyer and Heffington's. Travis read through it and couldn't believe quite a few things. It also didn't esacpe him that Sullivan asked his dead wife's best friend to come to save him but he also didn't give a statement. Why?

"Travis, is it okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm just thinking."

"About the deal? You seem a bit too far away." She pointed out and was right.

"No, no. The deal looks great. And as I don't supposed I have much of a choice to wait for something that could happen or be used, I say let's sign it and be done with it."

Eleanor smiled at him and handed him a pen.

"I thought you might say that."

Travis signed the paper. So had to do some community service. And he can do that in the form of being a firefighter but not getting paid for it. He could do that. He also had couple of meetings with a behavioral counselor. And he won't be put into promotion for couple of years.

"Are you going to ask about his part of the deal?" Eleanor asked curiously.

"No. I trust you." He looked at her with a fond smile.

"So, tell me, can you take me out of here and these clothes? Or do I have stay here another night?"

Eleanor stopped dead in her tracks. Then took out a bag from behind her back. He looked at it lovingly.

"My clothes? Please, say it's full of my clothes." He pleaded already looking forward to being out of there.

"Travis, let's get you out of here." Eleanor smiled and felt really happy about what she managed to achieve.


	5. Duty calls

_A/N: Thanks for your reviews and PMs. I love them all. I will reply soon, I promise. I keep the chapters shorter so you don't have to wait that long till I finish them. Hope that's all right. There might be a longer one soon though.  
_

* * *

It was Tuesday morning, very early in the morning and Travis Montgomery was already at the Station. He even met the guys from B-shift as he came really early. But he couldn't wait. He had a folder he needed to go over with the Captain. And he was sure other would be surprised. He didn't call anyone yesterday, he decided to wait and just appear at the Station.

He couldn't wait to thank Sullivan for what he did for him. And probably also congratulate Warren on his transfer to Medic One as he was sure that Warren totally nailed the interview. He was just good and they had to take him in.

He started on coffee and as he had time he also walked into a bakery nearby to bring some fresh rolls and croissants. When he came back to the Station, Hughes was already there.

"Montgomery." She beamed up at him.

"Hey Vic."

"What? But? How?" She was lost at words and it made him grin like an idiot. That didn't happen too often. She walked over to him and hugged him fiercely.

"You're out." She said then, still holding him.

"I'm out. We made a deal so I don't have to go to jail." He answered and had to try really hard to not to cry as he was so damn moved and happy to be there with them.

"Travis, hey!" Gibson said as he walked in. Vic let go of her friend so he could greet Gibson.

"Hey Gibson." Montgomery smiled at him.

"Hope you didn't start sharing all the interesting stories from County Jail yet." Gibson told him and Montgomery shot him "you're not funny" look.

"No, I brought breakfast." He said instead and they all went up to change and meet in the beanery.

In the meantime Maya was standing in the kitchen, watching Herrera. She wasn't sure about what was happening to her but it was weird. She was weird. Andy shrugged off all her attempts to talk so she decided to let her be. Maybe she was missing Ryan. And she was worried about Sullivan. And Montgomery. But it was so weird.

"Stop staring at me, you're creepy." Andy said suddenly.

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Nope." Maya kept on arguing with her. But they started to smile.

"Stop worrying about me, okay? I'm fine. It was just a difficult day yesterday, that's all."

"I know. And we had so boring calls." Maya complained.

"Horrible." Andy agreed.

"Do you think they'll put someone new to the team?" Andy asked.

"I hope not. But without Sullivan, Montgomery and Warren we sadly need someone." Maya answered and both knew she was right.

They grabbed their stuff and left the apartment. It was time to start another day.

Andy was silent on their way to the Station but she just had a lot on her mind. She was debating whether to talk to Maya and tell her about what happened or not. Maybe it would help her. But it would also put her into stupid position and she didn't want that. But she desperately needed to tell her because she was confused and insight could help her to deal with it and face it. But it was their Captain. Damn.

They met others in the beanery and greeted Travis. The mood was considerably better today than it was yesterday. They were happy he was back and even happier he brought breakfast. Once they were all seated at the table Gibson started.

"The Chief called yesterday once he got the news about Montgomery. But even with him being back we need someone to help us out."

Montgomery looked a bit perplexed.

"What did I miss?" He asked.

"You haven't heard."

"No, I was kind of cut off."

"Sullivan got hurt in L.A. apparently. Something about his leg. He got admitted to hospital on Friday and had a surgery that didn't go that well on Saturday." Vic told him.

"What do you mean that it didn't go well?" He asked worriedly.

"He hasn't woken up yet." Maya said and was looking at Andy while they talked about it. She didn't even blink. But Maya could read her and she could read her well so she noticed the tense jaw, the flexing fingers. She would bet her money that whatever's been going on with Herrera had something to do with Sullivan.

"He told the Chief to let Gibson be the acting Captain for now." Miller added.

"Wow, that's some news."

"Yeah and there's more." Vic said.

"As I don't see Warren here it's about him, huh? He's already gone?" Travis asked with a smile but others told him the story about Warren's interview. He could hardly believe it.

"They're idiots." He said in the end.

"We all agree on that. But Sullivan backed him up and so did the Chief." Maya said.

"So he has to wait till they check the complaint and make some statement."

"Yeah. And so we're still short handed."

"As I was saying, the Chief called about that. He said he would send us someone to help out at the reception. I don't know who."

"Your dad?" Miller asked Andy who had been silent the whole time.

"I have no idea." She replied. She really didn't know. She hasn't talked to her father in a few days.

Gibson gave them the tasks for the day. Then there was a knock on the door and indeed Pruitt came in telling them he got a strange call from the Chief asking him if he could skip work and come to help them out. They all welcomed him warmly.

Just then the dispatch announced a call for Aid Car so people left in a hurry getting to work. Pruitt found Maya then as she was getting her gear ready, doing her chores.

"Bishop."

"Sir?"

"Did something happen?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Bishop." He warned her and just with one look she knew what he meant. She had known from the start.

"I don't know. After we came back from L.A. she was tired and then with the news about Sullivan and Montgomery she seems to have a lot on her mind."

"Hmm…"

"I'm keeping eye on her."

"I have no doubt." He told her with a smile and left to let her do her job.

Herrera and Montgomery were on the Aid Car together. They came to an accident to assist another Station as they were getting people out from the crashed cars. Just as they came they immediately had a victim to treat. And they did their best but in the end they lost her. She had a head wound and possible internal bleeding but wasn't stable enough to be taken to hospital. She died.

"Herrera." Montgomery said gently.

"No." She argued back.

"Andy, she's gone." He said gently.

"No." She argued and tried to resuscitate her.

"Andy…" He tried again but she wouldn't stop with the CPR. Travis put his arms around her then and took her away from the dead woman. Andy tried to shrug him off but then didn't fight him.

"Damned!" Andy said fiercely and got up.

Travis got up too and walked over to her to the Aid car.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Sure."

"Herrera. Come on." He tried as he saw the angry tears in the corners of her eyes.

"She died."

"I know. We couldn't do more, you know that."

"I know." She answered and took several deep breaths.

Travis wanted to ask if she needed to talk about it but decided against it. She was not in the mood to talk about anything. She was dealing with something and needed her job to make it through. And he was one of those that could definitely understand that.

So they finished up at the scene and got back. On their way back Andy seemed lost in thought but when her phone beeped with a message from her father she couldn't but smile.

"What?"

"My dad."

"Something wrong?" Travis asked with a glance as he was driving.

"No. He's just telling me he found out how to use the new printer." She said and grinned as Montgomery grinned back at her.

"It's both weird and nice to have him back, isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's not the same without him. I mean Sullivan's good. Well, now. He used to be an ass but he changed and he's okay. But he's not your dad." He said and Andy could only agree.

"No, he's not." And she knew Travis was right. He changed indeed. And although she wouldn't admit it out loud she knew that she played a role in that. And their first near-death experience for sure.

And after everything it was very hard to accept the fact that she actually missed her Captain.

Back at the Station they all got to their routines and the day passed rather calmly. They had a couple of calls but the dispatch wasn't issuing them any difficult calls and if, they were with the help of another Station. They couldn't go on like that though so they all kind of guessed they would get someone new soon, if there was someone of course.

When they were saying their goodbyes Andy was in a better mood. Doing her job helped her a lot. She was still fighting some inner battles and desperately needed to talk to her best friend as her thoughts were kind of crazy, like on a roller coaster, but she couldn't, not really. This was her fight. And hers only.

Miller left alone as he was meeting with Nikki and it was just damn too awkward to meet with her and with Gibson with Bishop. And as he was coming to her place Gibson and Bishop were coming to the houseboat. Hughes dragged Montgomery with her saying something about food delivery and watching movies. Pruitt left as well, saying he had a date which made them all grin. They were happy he was happy. Even Andy was getting to the point where she was okay with her father having a lady-friend. She was the last one to leave.

She stopped by the Captain's office and looked in there. After a silent minute she left.

She was so mad at Sullivan for what he had done to her. When she left the Station on Friday morning as he told her to go, she couldn't even imagine ever being able to talk to him again friendly. He totally broke her. She could play it cool and say it was just sex and adrenalin rush and near death experience but she was still mad. Then she heard Ryan and his remark about her and Sullivan being an issue and then Bishop pointing it out as well and she was even madder. This was so unfair and so crazy.

She was mad. She needed to be mad. She needed to get through that so she could move on and face her Captain without being embarrassed. She initiated the kiss. She kept on pulling him closer and she wanted more and more. And instead she got nothing but a cold rejection when she expected it the least. How was she supposed to overcome that? And was there anything she could actually do? He was her Captain. She knew the risks, the implications. And yet it pulled her to him and after all they've been through, after feeling his hand on her face in the pool, she couldn't resist it and she thought it was the same for him.

But she was mistaken. She needed and wanted to be mad, furious even. She needed to treat him coldly on personal level, she needed to let him know that he screwed up and that she wasn't sure if he could fix it and she needed to show him that it wouldn't affect her job just like any other professional would. And she couldn't as he was in the damn hospital, the damn ICU and still unconscious after the surgery.

And here was the point where her resolution broke. How could she stay mad at him when he was injured, after surgery and still hasn't regained consciousness? She wanted to stay mad but there was another part of her that just screamed in worry and she was confused about her feelings and thoughts. She wanted and needed him to get better and be back in her life. And yet she couldn't actually stand him. What the hell? Was she fifteen? She didn't like this at all.

Before she realized what she was doing, she found herself on the route to Grey Sloan. Maybe it was what she needed to find some peace and have a clear head again. Maybe.

* * *

_A/N and now we're getting to the point where it would start getting kind of worse… before it gets better ;)_


	6. Hospital, part I

Standing by the entrance to the hospital Andrea froze. She's been there so often and yet when it was in her civvies it was different. Like she was missing the shield her uniform normally provided. People were coming in and out and nobody noticed her, not really. She was not a firefighter. She could be a patient or a relative or friend coming for a visit. She was no-one right then. And the hospital suddenly seemed so big and she needed a minute.

Coming here was probably a bad idea but she couldn't really help herself. Maybe she was being reckless, yet again, but she just followed the inner voice telling her she needed to do this.

She came in and as she knew from Warren where Sullivan was, she just made her way there. Couple of nurses greeted her and she just smiled at them.

The ICU room where Sullivan was had that kind of a glass window to the corridor so she could just stop and watch, observe. She stood there and watched the man that affected her life so much in both good and bad as he lied there. She noticed he was breathing on his own, which was good. The machines around him were beeping steadily. His leg was propped up, covered in bandages, with drainage.

Andy just stood there and couldn't make heads or tails from what she was feeling and thinking about. Her mind was full of images and emotions, they were snippets, fragments, pieces of a puzzle and she felt the heavy weight of them on her shoulders. She could clearly remember the last time she visited him like this. Although that time was a bit different for sure.

* * *

_After the windstorm…_

During the flight from the crash site Andy reached out and held Sullivan's hand. He held her back and didn't even try to pretend that he was the strong one now. He was devastated. And knew she was too. Her patient died. She was exhausted after the day, the crash, the climb. She was injured. And she watched her Captain break down as he thought about the damn possibility of being unable to do his job… and of walking again.

He looked at her and she tried to smile through her tears but he just caressed her hand with his thumb as he held her. Neither spoke as they didn't need to. And they didn't have the energy.

Once in the hospital they separated them. Andy had no idea about what was happening to him and knew he was scared as he was all alone there. She was scared too. She was dirty and sore and tired and she knew that the worst would come later. So far she was still in shock, running on adrenalin. But once it was gone…

They helped her undress, shower and did some x-rays, treated her cuts and fixed her ribcage as she had bruised her ribs pretty badly either during the crash or during the fall while she was climbing up. She was diagnosed with concussion which was nothing new to her. They gave her nice IV drip which made her feel both sleepy and light. She was exhausted but refused to be fed by a tube in her arm. No she needed regular food. Wearing that horrible hospital gown she was sitting on her bed, trying to eat whatever the nurses brought her. She was nervous and wanted to sleep but couldn't really.

When her doctor came to tell her the results of her test, she stopped him.

"Doc, can you tell me something about Captain Sullivan?" She asked hopefully.

"You're not related, are you?" He asked back.

"No, no we're not. We just went through the whole crash together and I … I would just like to know how he's doing, that's all." She tried and in a moment the doctor caved in.

"He's still in surgery. He has a swelling around his spine, couple of bruises and cracked bones in his legs but nothing's broken."

"Ah, okay. Ehm, thank you." Andy said and felt totally horrible.

"I can let you know once he's out of surgery." Her doctor told her and squeezed her arm in silent support.

Andy knew it was unlikely that her Captain would change dramatically overnight but it seemed to her that he had been different, well before his wife died and his world turned dark. And today the talk they had… and how he tried in his own very awkward way, it seemed to her that he indeed tried to open up a bit to her. Maybe he truly wanted to be part of the team but just didn't know how to do it after all those years of solitude.

Andy fell asleep; she gave in to the meds. She totally missed her father and Bishop coming for a visit to check up on her. So they at least left some of her personal items in her room. The doctor said she would have to stay for 48 hours for observation. She also didn't remember that the nurses woke her up regularly during the night to make sure her brain was okay.

The whole Station including Ripley was waiting downstairs and they were all nervous. When Pruitt came back from Andy's room he thought they would all leave but Ripley stayed seated, waiting on news about Sullivan and so they all waited with him. He was their Captain, no matter how tough and weird he was.

In the morning Andy woke up and found her clothes and personal items. She was grateful. She felt much better so she asked the nurse if she could come to visit Sullivan.

"I'll check with your and his doctor, okay?" The nurse answered.

"Thank you." Andy replied unsure about why she needed to see him that badly but she just did.

Her doctor came and allowed her to change from the hospital gown to her own clothes as she was there only for observation.

"The nurse told me you'd like to visit Captain Sullivan."

"Yes, I'd like to."

"From what I heard you two went through something terrible together."

"You can say that, yeah." She answered, uncomfortable about all the implications. "He's my Captain, we're all close at the Station." She tried to add. Her doctor smiled at her gently.

"Okay then but you have to follow his doctor's orders." He told her and she agreed. And so the nurse took her there. The Intensive Care Unit was silent, only the machines were beeping. Sullivan's doctor came to her and greeted her with a smile. She seemed nice.

"Come with me."

"Okay."

And so she took her to his room. The curtains were closed so the doctor knocked and entered without Andy at first. After a moment she came back out and told her to go inside. Andy was nervous as hell but she walked in.

Sullivan was in a lying position, his back fixed, his cuts treated. He didn't look as himself at all and it totally shocked her. She walked over to him slowly. He turned his head to her and tried to smile but it was a weak attempt.

"Captain, hey…"

"Herrera. Have a seat." He told her and showed her to a chair next to his bed. She sat down and didn't have a single idea about what to say.

"How you are?" He asked her.

"I'm good. Cuts and bruises, nothing serious, no permanent damage. 48 hours here for observation and then I'm good to go."

"I'm glad to hear that." He said and noticed she seemed upset. "Andy…"

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there to treat Shannon." She said suddenly and it surprised them both.

"What?"

"I should have been there. You wouldn't have had to move." She said both with regret and anger.

"No."

"No?"

"No. You had to go. That was a good call. You had to set up the flare. Without it we would probably still be down in that ravine."

"They would have found us."

"Yeah, maybe. But maybe not. You said it yourself. There were no marks on the road. Without that flare Ripley wouldn't have noticed."

"I'm so sorry." She said like she wasn't listening.

"No need to, Andy." He tried to reassure her. As she was close he reached over and touched her hand. Well at least he tried to. Andy noticed the movement so she reached out and enlaced their fingers.

"And what did the doctor tell you, huh?"

"Well I'll be here for a while. But once the swelling goes down and my legs heal I should start with exercise and hopefully get the movement back. But nothing's for sure."

"It will be okay." She said to reassure him – and herself as well.

"I hope so." He said and turned his head away. She didn't need to see his tears. He had to blink them away.

"Captain?" She asked and gave him a moment to regain his composure. He looked back at her then.

"Thank you." She said.

"For what?"

"You kept me going down there. Without you…"

"I think that was a mutual thing, Andy."

"And I know that after Shannon died I wasn't acting like a pro…" She tried to say she wasn't being professional but he stopped her. "Don't go there." He intercepted. And she just nodded. And so they stayed there, holding hands before Andy felt his hand going a bit limp. He had fallen asleep. She stood up, adjusted the covers over him and walked away. She told the nurse that she was on her way back to her room. They let her even walk on her own this time.

Her father visited her in the afternoon and so did Bishop after shift. The guys sent her flowers and chocolate, Maya brought it all to her.

"You look better than yesterday." Maya told her.

"I feel better."

"I was worried. Like really worried." Maya said.

"Me too." She answered and Maya sat down next to her on her bed.

"I was supposed to be on that Aid Car. Not you."

"Maya…"

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Okay, what is it?"

"I got the promotion."

"Maya! That's great." Andy beamed up at her.

"They're transferring me to 23."

"Oh. When?"

"I don't know, soon probably. But there's something else."

"You're scaring me. What is it?" Andy asked totally worried.

"It's about Gibson." Maya replied and told her all about their colleague and his problems. Andy couldn't believe it. They talked about it all.

"When are you coming back?" Maya asked her then.

"Well if everything goes well they'll release me the day after tomorrow in the morning."

"Okay."

"But my ribs will need time."

"So you're going to stay home."

"I hope not. I'm kind of hoping to run the reception at least." Andy said and Maya grinned.

"You're bad." Maya told her and as the visiting hours were almost at the end she said her goodbyes and left Andy alone in her room.

That evening Andy visited Sullivan again. And in the morning and in the evening the day after that. She also stopped by just before her father came to pick her up in the morning as they released her to home rest.

She knocked on the door frame and entered. Sullivan greeted her and they talked a bit.

"So you're going home."

"Yeah."

"Your ribs are better?"

"Sore but I'll live." She replied awkwardly. She wanted to address the slight change between them but didn't know how.

"Listen, Herrera…"

"Yes, Sir?"

"You don't have to feel obliged to come here again."

"Sir…"

"I won't mind if you come for a visit sometimes but it's not your duty to keep me company." He said in his tough Captain's voice. She understood the message. She wasn't welcomed anymore.

"I understand, Sir." She said although she didn't. But she was so raw inside after the experience they shared that maybe it was a good idea to keep some distance.

"Thank you." He said. He didn't need her to see him like this. And he'll get frustrated and grumpy soon and didn't need an audience.

"Get better soon, Captain. We'll be looking forward to having you back." She said and left the room. She was upset somehow but was looking forward to going home.

* * *

_And now…_

She kept on watching him, the steady fall and rise of his chest and she didn't know what to do. She was still mad at him. What he did to her still hurt. And she wasn't ready to forgive him just because he was in a hospital bed looking as fragile as men as tall as him can.

She stood there and watched him and felt totally numb. She felt pain and anger and frustration, then sadness and worry and it got all mixed up and then there was nothing. She was numb.

Andy left the hospital and got home. She was alone there so she allowed her the luxury to lie down on the couch and just pretend she wasn't there.

The next couple of days Andy would always stop by the hospital on her way home from her shift. She would always stand in front of the window, watching him, feeling nothing at all. But she knew she had to be there. It wouldn't leave her alone. She just couldn't pretend he wasn't there.

At work she was doing better. Everyone was okay actually. Travis was back, they got a new guy named Carsen to help out as they needed more people. Gibson was doing okay as a Captain, things were running smoothly. Pruitt was helping out at the reception and they all enjoyed his company as usually. But unlike the last time when he was there to help, this time they actually cared about the fate of their Captain. They were still waiting for news about Warren but the Chief told them it would take probably at least two weeks to put it all together. So they hoped that Warren at least had time to rest and get back to being okay after all that happened.

On Friday afternoon Andy met Sullivan's doctor. She came to Andy and stood next to her by the window silently.

"You know you can go inside, right?"

"I'm not his relative. I can't."

"Andy, you've visited him before. And I know you two are close." She tried gently.

"No, I shouldn't. I'm not sure he'd want me there." Andy protested but it sounded weak even to her own ears.

"Have you heard about the theory that if someone close sits with someone who's unconscious, it might help them to get better, sometimes even wake up sooner."

"Doctor…"

"It's up to you. I'm just saying that you can come inside and sit with him, hold his hand, talk to him. Maybe he needs just that." The doctor said softly and with a smile she came inside the room to check on her patient. Andy stood there still and she would never understand what made her come inside once the doctor left Sullivan.

She sat down next to his bed and after a moment of hesitation she took his hand into her own. It was both pleasant and weird. Her skin reacted to the touch and she cursed herself. She was still mad at him! He rejected her just when she was about to cross the line she was scared about the most. And he told her to go. He just told her to go. And it broke her.

And now she was here and with him and she was holding his hand. It was so weird.

She tried talking to him but she was so nervous she barely knew what to say. So she told him their calls, about Gibson and Montgomery, she told him about everything that had happened during his absence. And soon it didn't feel that awkward.

There was a nudging thought in her head telling her that she missed him. But that couldn't be true. Just couldn't. How could she miss him? Did they come such a long path that now she missed him and was willing to sit by him and hold his hand, hoping he would wake up? Yeah, he needed to wake up so she could yell at him and be mad at him and give him the silent treatment he deserved.

* * *

_A/N: to be continued… Sorry folks, it would be too long ;)_


	7. Hospital, part II

Andy left late that night. The nurse on duty knew her and as she was not causing troubles she let her be. And Andy lost track of time so she just stayed with Sullivan till she felt exhausted both physically and emotionally. She didn't plan on coming here and talking to him. Seeing him like that was so difficult.

When she got home she fell onto her bed and fell asleep. No bath, no changing into pajamas, nothing. She just collapsed and was totally out.

Maya came to check upon her as she heard her coming home. As she saw her on the bed she was at loss for words. Something was definitely happening with her friend. She would need to talk to her soon because she was getting worried. Maya knew Andy was back to herself at work but there was something she was not telling her, something affecting her life. She promised Andy's father she would look after her. And she was planning on that.

The next day was a mess at the Station. They were helping with a construction fire on the outskirts of Seattle. There were five Stations there. It was a construction site, supposedly new apartment building with offices on the top floors. It wasn't as dangerous as the Skyscraper fire but it was big and it was difficult. It brought all sorts of memories for all of them. But they handled it well and in the evening when they met in the beanery, they found pizzas there and huge chocolate cake. The card on the table said "Well done 19" so they guessed it was from the Chief. They weren't asking questions. They were hungry and tired and the pizzas smelled great so they just ate them. And there was literally not even a crumb left from the cake when they finished.

Maya stopped Andy then when everyone was getting ready to leave.

"Hey, you're coming home?" Maya asked.

"No. I need to take care of something first. But I'll be home soon." Andy said.

"All right. I'm just asking…"

"I know. But don't worry, okay?"

"Will you tell me someday? What's this all about? And don't tell me it's nothing."

"Okay." Andy replied and with a smile went to grab her things. Maya stood there for a moment longer before she left too.

Andy knew she would have to talk to her, tell her about her secret visits to the hospital. She just feared Maya's reaction. It was her who pointed out that there might be something happening between her and their Captain after all. Well first was Ryan but Andy understood that he saw them in the hospital at the same moment as Maya did.

Andy didn't even think about what she was doing when she tried to offer some comfort to Sullivan. He was a friend, she cared about him and he needed the support as his best friend was dying. It didn't matter to her back then that he was her Captain. She just needed to be there for him. And as she kept on telling herself, she would do the same for her other friends as well.

And today was no different. She's been thinking about it, about her visits in the hospital, about yesterday, about how it felt to be sitting with him, talking to him. She was still conflicted about her feelings. She was unsure about what she wanted. She was unsure about everything actually. But there was a part of her that longed for being there with him. He broke her heart. He stole her dignity. She doubted everything about herself when he kicked her out. And yet she cared. So if she needed to sit with him and talk to him about their calls and the newest gossips to make him wake up so she could be mad and show him how stupid he had been, then be it.

Greeting the nurse Andy came to Sullivan's room. The curtain was closed so she just knocked and entered.

"You wouldn't believe the day we had." She started and then noticed the difference. The sounds were different. It took her split of a second to register that unlike the previous day, her Captain was awake. When he heard her he looked at her direction. Andy couldn't decipher his look. She stood frozen at the door.

Sullivan didn't understand what she was doing there, he was a bit confused. So she just watcher her and prayed his thoughts would stop being so fuzzy. He couldn't focus. Damn all the meds.

"Hey." Andy said nervously.

"Hey." He replied awkwardly.

"You're awake."

"Yeah." And the silence that came was deafening. Neither knew what to say. Sullivan's doctor came then. She smiled at Andy.

"Andy, hi. How are you? Everything okay? I heard about the construction fire."

"I'm fine. We all are." Andy said.

"Good." The doc smiled.

"I'll just check how you're doing, Sully, okay?" She said and totally missed the awkward looks her patient and his visitor shared. She moved to Sully and checked his leg, his vitals, wrote things down into his chart and adjusted his IV drip.

Andy knew she should just turn around and leave but she stood glued to the spot. Wasn't she supposed to be mad? Couple of times she wanted to say something, she even opened her mouth but there were no words to say.

"What are you doing here anyway?" He asked then and it broke the bubble around them.

"I just came to see how you were doing." She replied.

"I'm good."

"Okay." She replied awkwardly and felt as confused as when he told her to go back at the Station after they kissed. "I'm glad you're finally awake. The crew will be happy. We've been worried."

"Really?" He asked back and there was a bit of irony in his voice. Did he doubt that?

"Yes, really. Our Captain's in the hospital so yeah, we've been worried." She replied and right then she felt the anger rising in. How dared he?

"Well I'm awake now. So you don't have to be here."

"What?"

"Or did you need something?" He asked back and was all tense. His heart rate was changing rapidly. His doctor just watched the two of them and kept on checking the monitors.

Andy looked hurt – and mad. She took a deep breath.

"No, I didn't need anything. I just wanted to see you."

"And you did." He replied. "You don't have to come again. I'll inform the Chief about my condition." He told her and she looked at him shocked.

"I didn't ask you to come, Herrera." He said then.

"No, you didn't. But I came anyway." She replied and as she felt tears in the corners of her eyes she knew she needed to leave. "Sorry, I won't make the same mistake again."

"You can go, Lieutenant." He replied. Andy stood on the spot, she wanted to go but felt like she also needed to stay. She was hurting all over. She didn't expect him to act like that.

"Leave." He said then in what he hoped was the toughest Captain's voice he had. And Andy could tell that he was giving her a direct order.

She didn't say anything more, she just left and didn't even close the door.

Sullivan closed his eyes and his doctor was more than surprised to see him wiping away tears. He was trying to stay calm, to slow down his heart but she could tell he was upset.

"Sully?" She called his name and in a minute he looked at her.

"What?" He asked.

"I know you're upset about this whole thing but what was this about?" She totally didn't understand.

"None of your business, doc." He said, and if he could he would throw something against a wall or punch it.

"Ehm, no, it's not." She said calmly. She was used to all kind of treatments from patients in similar condition. "But are you sure you want her gone?"

"I don't want her here." He replied like a petulant child.

"Well, okay, that's up to you of course but maybe you should know that she's been coming to see you every day."

"What?" He wasn't following. After what he had done to her after L.A.? Why would she…?

"She would stand out there and watch you." The doctor told him gently. She didn't know what happened between those two but she was sure something did.

"Yesterday she finally came here and sat with you, she held your hand and talked for hours."

"She did?" And he felt totally confused. She... cared?

"Yes, she did. And maybe it's a coincidence but you woke up just minutes after she left." She told him and watched him as he took all the information in. She put down his chart.

"If nothing happens I'll have you moved to regular room tomorrow and arrange for your physical therapist to come to see you." She told him matter of factly.

"Okay." He replied.

"Sully…" She said his name when she was leaving the room.

"Yes?"

"Just so you know, when you woke up, you asked for her." She told him and watched his eyes go wide and she could tell he was full of very conflicted emotions. "You called her name and in a minute you fell back asleep for another hour."

"I don't remember that." He replied shakily.

"That's why I'm telling you." She said and left him alone with his emotions. Closing the door behind her she was sure he had a lot to think about. But she was curious. What the hell happened between them? Their behavior suggested something … personal.

Back home Andy closed the door behind her and sat down by the nearest wall. She let go of all the fear and anger and sadness in her and once she started to cry she couldn't really stop it. She didn't know what was happening to her but she clearly needed to let it out.

Maya was already home and when she heard the door she thought Andy would come and knock and talk to her but there was nothing happening. And then she heard weird sounds she hadn't heard in a long time. So she walked out and found Andy sitting on the ground, crying. She got immediately super worried. Sitting down next to her she put her arm around her friend.

And she grew even more worried as Andy leaned into her. Her fierce kick-ass firefighter best friend. Something was definitely wrong.

She let her cry as she obviously needed it. When Andy stopped, she moved away from Maya wiped her tears. She was all red and puffy and felt like crap.

"Andy…" Maya tried. She was so scared to ask what brought this on.

"It's Sullivan." Andy said. Maya look shocked. Andy realized how that sounded. "Oh no, no, he's not dead. He woke up." She assured her friend.

"Damned Herrera, don't do this to me." Maya replied. "But if he woke up then why are you crying?"

"Because I'm such idiot!" Andy said fiercely. The anger was bubbling up to the surface.

"Okay, you have to tell me everything. Right now. I've been patient with you but now you come home looking like this. That's enough. Spill." Maya said and watched Andy as she got up to wash her face. She kept on pacing the living room then.

"Andy?" Maya called her name to stop her pacing. She moved to the couch.

"I kissed him." Andy said.

"What?" Maya couldn't believe it. No way! No bloody way!

"When we got back from L.A. he wanted to talk about the pool incident."

"Did something happen in that pool?" Maya asked after a moment as she didn't see a reason why would he want to talk about it.

"Yeah." Andy replied and sat down to her room-mate.

"What happened?" Maya prompted.

"He touched my face, he…" Andy didn't know how to explain. "I said I wanted to talk about it too but… but then he asked me what I wanted."

"And?"

"And then I… I don't know how it happened but I kissed him. He asked what I wanted and I wanted just that."

"Okay… so you kissed our Captain. How was it?" Maya couldn't resist it. Andy chuckled and then smiled, lost in thought.

"That good, huh?" Maya understood. "How far did it go?" She asked then and watched as Andy squirmed.

"I left him in the Captain's bunk, shirtless and went to lock the door."

"Smart move."

"Huh. But when I came back he told me to go. That it would best if I go."

"You're kidding."

"No. I don't know what happened, I don't know why he changed his mind. But he did."

"And then he ended up in the hospital."

"Yes."

"And let me guess, you visited him after shift."

"I did. I'm so stupid. So damn stupid. I came there every day and watched him. I wanted him to wake up so I could give him piece of my mind. I'm so mad."

"I understand that. So what happened? Why all this?"

"Yesterday his doc talked me into coming into his room. I sat there, held his hand, talked to him… She said it helps unconscious patients..." She tried to explain but Maya nodded. She knew that.

"That's why you came in so late?" She asked instead.

"I lost track of time… And today when I came, he was awake."

"So you talked? Did you say something to him?"

"Oh we talked. He basically told me not to bother to come again and that I had no business being there at all. You know how I felt? I felt like an asset again. Just a damn asset and nothing more!" Andy said and she was angry. "I don't know what I was thinking. That maybe he wakes up and we talk and things will be okay again between us? I'm an idiot."

"Andy…"

"No. I am. There was this tiny part of me hoping that it had to something with his leg when he told me to go. But no, he just changed his mind. After everything we've been through, he just decided to kick me out. He just humiliated me and threw me out!" Andy continued. Maya let her talk as she clearly needed to get it out of her system.

"And you know what's the worst part?"

"What?"

"When we kissed, it was so different. It all just clicked you know. It felt so right."

"You care about him." Maya said softly after a moment. "You don't want to admit it but you do." Andy just shook her head no and closed her eyes.

"So what are you going to do?" Maya asked Andy.

"Nothing. My job." Andy replied and felt numb inside again. Maya was right. She did care about him. But he obviously didn't care about her, not in the way she thought. So she had to get over it. And with him being in the hospital she had time as she knew he wouldn't come back anytime soon.

Andy wished Maya goodnight and left to take a shower and go to bed.

Maya stayed on the couch for a moment longer. She had a feeling this was not the end. She tried to put all the pieces together. It was clear to her that Andy cared for Sullivan. And she knew he had a soft spot for her too. She also knew that without Andy he would still be Captain Fire Grinch and they would be celebrating him being in the hospital and out of their lives. But it was different now. He was different. And Andy played a critical role in that. They all kind of knew that. The attraction between them was not as subtle when you knew to look for it.

After what she saw in the hospital when Ripley died, she was sure that there was something more between them going on. Even more after L.A. and after the last days when Andy took it hard that he had hurt his leg while he was trying to save her life.

But not in a million years she would guess it would get to this point. It took a lot to make Andy cry like this. But if she could bet, she'd say Sullivan was no better. Maya tried to think about it. And her guess would be that Sullivan sent Andy away because his leg was numb. The Chief said it happened suddenly. So maybe… And if he woke up last night it had to be after Andy left. Huh. Interesting. Maybe there was something on that theory. And today… if he cared about her as much as she suspected, he told her to go because he either believed she'd be better with someone else or, and that was something Maya would do, he didn't want her around as he felt miserable and scared and didn't want any witnesses. Yeah, he probably told her to go because he didn't want her to pity him or something stupid like that.

And so that idiot broke her best friend.

And now she was mad at him too. She had to be. He hurt Andy. And she didn't deserve that. But she could hardly blame him. There was a small part of her that even admired him for this. Even when it was stupid.


	8. Two weeks

_Sorry folks. I don't know what's wrong with the site but it messes up updates and mail notifications nd just went all crazy. Hope they'll fix it soon because it drives me nuts…_

* * *

In the morning Maya handed Andy her to-go cup with coffee. Andy thanked her and they left to work together. Andy felt better. She was looking forward to another day. And she was grateful she wouldn't have to face Sullivan.

There was a part of her that truly cared about him. But that part got broken, hurt. So she focused on the other part. That one that just wanted to do her job properly. Maya was a great support and Andy was grateful for that.

At the Station they met the rest of the crew along with her dad and they had breakfast together. Gibson had all the tasks ready for them. Pruitt wouldn't tell him, but he was making him proud. He has come a long way to this point. He could appreciate it.

Pruitt watched his daughter whole morning and knew something was off but she also seemed more like herself. Whatever had been going on in her life was over. Somehow.

When the dispatch called for both the Engine and Aid Car, they all left, focusing totally on the task at hand. It was their job, their duty and it was a lot more to all of them. They worked well together, even with the new guy. They were far from trusting him personally but so far he seemed like a decent guy. Sometimes he would ask about something, he was paying attention and it actually felt good to be teaching him what made 19 so special.

When they came back they found Warren talking to Pruitt at the reception. They welcomed him warmly.

"So you know something finally?" Miller asked.

"No, not yet. Well the Chief needs time."

"That's bullshit. He would take you back on the spot." Gibson said.

"Yeah and ended up like me. No, he has to do it the proper way."

"Meaning a lot of time for you to… what do you actually do these days?" Bishop asked playfully, mocking him a bit. He grinned back at her.

"There's always something to do around the house. I'm helping Tuck, visiting Miranda…"

"So you're bored." Montgomery said and they all laughed.

"Resting." Warren corrected him with a smile.

"Which reminds me. I visited Sullivan yesterday."

"How's he doing?" Gibson asked him. Warren grinned.

"He's awake."

"What?" Miller asked and they all were smiling even though couple of months ago neither would believe it.

"He woke up yesterday. His doctor is keeping him in the ICU for observation but he should be transferred to a regular room this afternoon. If his leg is okay they'll take out the drainage and transfer him." Warren told them and looked at Pruitt. The old man was smiling as well, happy.

"Would you guys believe we actually miss Captain Asset?" Warren asked them and they laughed.

"No, absolutely not." Hughes replied.

"Any idea when he's coming back?" Gibson asked.

"You worried about your comfy chair?" Bishop replied with a gleam in her eyes. Gibson didn't respond.

"He said he would tell the Chief everything. So he'll surely let you know." Warren tried.

"Come on, Ben. What's your guess?" Montgomery asked.

"I don't have the necessary information but in general I would say he'd be starting therapy tomorrow. Slowly. And with medication for his neuropaths and to help the healing after surgery he could be walking on his own in a month. Two or three before he's fit for active duty if all goes well." Warren said and they all took the information in.

"So he'll be taking my chair in a month." Pruitt said and it made them grin.

Andy was actually the only one not commenting on the updates. Luckily no one except for Maya noticed and Maya played it totally cool. Andy left them, she needed something to drink and to sit down for a moment.

Upstairs she enjoyed the solitude. It didn't last long as the dispatch announced a car accident and they were needed again. They barely had time to restock.

The rest of the day was like any other day. And so was the next. And the next. And soon two weeks passed and Andy threw herself into work. She was either on shift or working out or jogging. She came home for dinner and sleep but that was all. Maya was worried about her but knew this state of mind herself. Andy just needed to redirect her energy. And it was better that she felt like that than sitting at home feeling sorry and miserable.

So Maya let her be and just made sure she ate as she needed to and had enough sleep. Sometimes she would join her and it felt good. Sometimes Vic would join too and then their jogging turned into a trip for ice-cream, coffee or they would spend more time talking than jogging. But they were happy. Both Andy and Vic looked better and better. Maya noticed that her friends truly needed this to move on with their lives forward.

The next Monday was finally the day when they got some news about Warren. The Chief came to inform Gibson that he had addressed the complaint and just sent the reply to Carter. Now they had to wait again for his reaction.

"It shouldn't be more than a week. Can you spare Warren for the time being?" The Chief asked.

"We miss him, Sir. But we'll wait of course. With Carsen here we're doing okay. It's not the same but we manage."

"I saw your results, I don't doubt it."

"Sir, can I ask you about Captain Sullivan?" Gibson tried. The Chief seemed reluctant. "He's doing better." He said then and Gibson knew he wouldn't pry any more information from him.

"You're doing great, Gibson. Don't worry."

And Jack wanted to tell him that he just wanted his old job back and stop being trapped behind this table. Besides it felt somehow better with Sullivan there. That guy surprised them all and now they wanted him here and hoped he would come back soon. And Gibson just realized that he was in no hurry to become a Captain himself. That was not his aim.

Sullivan was indeed doing better. He had the feeling back in his leg. The meds for his neuropaths were helping a lot. He still needed a lot of exhausting therapy but he was coping well. He knew he had to. He was not giving up. His knee still wasn't hundred percent good but it was getting better. He hoped to get out of the hospital in two maybe three weeks. So far his doctor was reluctant to let him go as he was living alone. So he had to wait. He could be coming to exercises from home then though and frankly he couldn't wait to be back in his own bed.

His doctor didn't mention Andy anymore. The Chief stopped by couple of times, so did Warren when he was visiting the hospital. He got some chocolate from the crew, Jennifer was a regular guest, bringing him fruit and keeping him company. He knew she needed it probably as much as she did. Once she tried to ask about what was on his mind. Once she tried, as a friend, to offer her support because she could tell he was dealing with something aside from the obvious. He cut it short and she never tried again, knowing it was pointless.

Jennifer might not be his relative but she had known him for decades. And as her brother showed evident signs of being in love with Vic, she could tell Robert had a similar problem. She wasn't sure if it was love but she would bet all her money that there was a woman he cared about and that something was wrong. But he told her very strictly he didn't wish to talk about it so she didn't. But she wouldn't stop thinking about it.

Jennifer even talked to Vic about it. They usually didn't talk about people from work as neither wanted to put the other to awkward position but she couldn't take it anymore.

"Vic… have you noticed someone new in Robert's life?"

"Huh, what?" Vic asked, not following.

"A woman." Jennifer clarified.

"Well we're not best friends and I don't get to see him outside office at all. Maybe couple of times in a bar but no, I haven't seen anyone new. Why do you ask?"

"He's upset about something. About someone. I can tell it's about a woman. He has the signs you know? Still the same even after all those years."

"That'd be good for him. Not to be alone. He can be a really nice guy when he wants to." She said with a small smile.

"He was even better before he lost Claire." Jennifer said sadly.

"Was it that bad?"

"And worse. I didn't think he would ever get past it. Then he came back, Luke died and Sully's different but he's more like himself again too." Jennifer said.

"So he met someone." Vic summarized.

"Yeah, it seems so. But he wouldn't tell me."

"Troubles on the horizon?"

"I think so." Jennifer answered and they talked about it a bit longer. Sullivan wasn't exactly an open book but they both knew him, each in a different way. But Vic knew he tried his best to be there for her when she lost Lucas. It was still raw and she couldn't imagine ever loving someone again so she could totally understand Sullivan's departure to Montana. But it's been so long that he should totally find someone.

Sullivan felt horrible about what happened between him and Andy. The first time he panicked. And the second – well he didn't have an excuse for the second time. He was a jerk. And both times he hurt her which was something he never wanted to. He just doubted there was a way out of this mess. Could she work with him? Could she trust him to lead her on calls? Could she feel comfortable around him so their situation wouldn't disturb the crew?

He kept on thinking about it. He knew he should have told her the truth at once. He realized that the moment she left. He knew he screwed up and knew he had a lot of apologizing to do. But how he could fix the mess he created now? She came to visit him. She cared. She wanted to be there. She didn't need a reason. She just wanted to be with him. And he was a jerk and she left yet again, again in tears and again broken by him.

He hated himself for it. But he knew it was for the best. He had a time to think about it. The age difference between them was too much. They were both at the same Station. He was her Captain. He was hurt. There was a chance his leg would never get better enough for him to do his job again. She was young and had great future ahead. She didn't need him.

He had never been that kind of guy to, well, sleep around with anyone without consequences. So when Andy kissed him his world turned upside down and he gave in because – God – it felt so good. She wanted him. And he wanted her. He cared about her as he carelessly showed her in that forsaken pool. He cherished her friendship, valued her opinion, admired her personality and had to admit that thanks to her his life was much better. He was falling for her. Hard and fast. And it wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He was her Captain.

Maybe it was good his leg gave up on him. Andy wouldn't have to regret sleeping with her Captain in his bunk.

He sounded like an old sap even to his own ears. He was being stupid and he knew it. He guessed he'd have to face her once back at work. And he worried how that would go. He could only hope that by then she would be … somewhere else and just forget about all this.

After the weeks of therapy he could be taking slow walks with a crutch to support him. It was nice not to have to lie in the bed whole day. The exercise was good but the doctor feared what too much pressure would do on his neuropath. They fixed in during the surgery but it needed time to heal properly. Warren visited him just yesterday and walked with him to the cafeteria which felt even better as he talked him into having coffee with him.

Today when there was a knock on the door he wasn't sure who it was as he was not expecting anyone. And to his surprise it was Montgomery who walked in.

"Montgomery." He greeted him.

"Sir. Is this a bad time?" Travis asked politely.

"No, not at all, come in." Sullivan welcomed him.

"How are you doing?"

"Better every day."

"That's good, Sir. Really." Travis replied. And when the awkward silence made look around the room the second time he finally gave Sullivan the paper bag he brought with him.

"That's for you, Sir."

"What is it?" Sullivan asked curiously.

"When they made me take longer and longer walks I really appreciated these protein bars. But I wasn't sure about your preference so I took a bit of, well all." Travis sounded nervous and felt stupid.

Sullivan smiled though and chuckled. "Thanks, Montgomery. Hey, would you mind taking a walk with me? We can go downstairs and get a coffee." Sullivan suggested. At first Travis was a bit taken aback but then he agreed. Why not.

And so they walked together, slowly, Sullivan was asking about the Station and Travis told him about some of their calls. When they made it downstairs and Montgomery got them coffees, he finally said what he wanted to say the whole time.

"Thank you, Sir."

"For what?"

"For getting me damn good lawyer. For not kicking me out of the Station for violation of the rules." And he sounded sincere.

"I heard about what happened, Montgomery. Heffington had it coming."

"Sir." Travis didn't really know what to think about that.

"I'm not saying you should beat another firefighter but if someone talks in that way about Luke and Hughes…" He left the sentence unfinished and Travis smiled at him.

"Well, thank you, Sir. I owe you one." He said and Sully just shrugged it off. And he got lost in thoughts. Thinking about the Station and the crew he desperately wanted back. But on the other hand he wasn't sure he could work with Andy, or rather she could – and would – work with him. And he knew that she wouldn't really leave 19 and he had to admit, he wouldn't want her to, so he was up for some changes in his life it seemed.

"Everything okay?" Montgomery asked him.

"Just thinking."

"Oh. Okay." Travis didn't know what to say. "Something I can help you with?" He tried.

Sully didn't reply because he couldn't really imagine telling one of his subordinates about the incidents he caused, about what happened between him and another subordinate. Especially in this case.

"I'm not saying you have to, Sir. I'm just saying you can. I know we're not exactly best friends but you know how it works on 19." Travis said and Sully nodded. Yeah, he knew. One big family. With all the ups and downs, with everything.

They got up and walked back to Sully's room. He was exhausted and happy he was back in bed. Damn he hated this. He closed his eyes for a moment and noticing the protein bars Montgomery brought him he realized that maybe he could actually talk to him.

"Montgomery…"

"Yes?"

"There's someone… someone I care about."

"Oh. Wow. Good for you. I had no idea." Travis was surprised his Captain actually took him up on his offer. And even more surprised he talked to him about such private matter.

"I screwed up. Twice in a row. I could probably explain and excuse the first time but the second time is all on me." He said and Travis had to think about it for a moment.

"Your leg. She was with you when your leg gave up, wasn't she?" He asked.

After a moment Sully nodded. "Yeah. And I told her to go instead of being honest with her."

"I'm sure she'd understand."

"I didn't have a chance to find out with the surgery and all. But then she came here and I screwed up again. And this time really badly." Sullivan admitted. Travis let him be as there was nothing to say at that moment.

"I don't know what to do." He admitted.

"Apologize." Travis suggested.

"She wouldn't even pick up her phone. She's mad at me and she has every right to."

"Well then call again. And if she doesn't pick, then again."

"And if she still doesn't pick up?" Sully asked half amused. Travis was looking at him and felt actually really well as he was glad he could offer at least moral support to his Captain. He was not a bad man after all.

"Then again. And if she doesn't pick up, send her flowers."

"That easy?"

"Yeah, that easy. And if she still doesn't respond, do something more, something personal."

"Like what?" Sullivan asked out from pure curiosity.

Travis sat down and traced the line on his finger where his ring used to be.

"We had a huge fight with Michael once. I screwed up. Royally. After a couple of days of thinking I decided to call him. And he didn't pick. After third day I understood he just wouldn't."

"So what did you do?" Sully asked.

"I ordered a cake for him. It was the same we had on our wedding. I had it delivered and waited." Travis said and then cleared his throat. "Well you're obviously not that far but…"

"I get it, Montgomery, I do."

"If she's that important, do whatever it takes, don't give up." Travis said and wanted to say goodbye and go as this was a bit weird now and it would take him some time to get used to this new part of his relationship with his Captain. But then Sullivan chuckled.

"What?" Travis asked.

"I basically told Luke the same when he came for advice after he had a huge fight with Hughes." Sullivan admitted.

"See? You know what to do. You just needed to hear it from a friend." Travis said and with a goodbye and get well soon he left the room. He had no idea who that mysterious woman was but it had to be someone special if his Captain who lived in solitude was going through such emotional turmoil because of her.

* * *

_A/N Will he call? Send flowers? Ha – see you next time. But beware..  
_


	9. Phonecall

It took Sullivan few hours before he gathered up all the courage needed to pick up the phone and dial Andy's number. Heck. Come what may. It couldn't get any worse, now, could it?

Andy was with Maya and Vic in their apartment. They were having some Thai food and just resting. They were talking about their last calls, going over the details when Andy's phone started to ring. She groaned as she had to get up from the couch and walk over to her jacket. She took the phone out and froze for a moment.

She didn't pick up. She put the phone back and just pretended it never rang in the first place. But in a few minutes the phone started to ring again. Maya and Vic shared a curious glance and waited. Andy was staring at her pocket.

"Pick it up." Vic said.

"No."

"Andy. Just answer the call. You have nothing to lose." Maya said and Andy took a deep breath. She picked up although there was a part of her that wanted to throw the phone away and pretend it never existed.

"Yes?"

"_Andy, it's me." _Sullivan said and didn't really know who he was to her. Sullivan? Sully? Robert? Captain? Biggest jerk on Earth? Stupid fool? Or simply an idiot?

"What can I do for you?" She asked and tried to play it cool as Vic was watching her as well as Maya.

"_I wanted to talk to you."_

"Oh."

"_Andy…" _Robert tried but didn't have the right words no matter how hard he tried. Heart was hammering in his chest and his mouth was dry.

"Don't." She suddenly said.

"_What?" _He didn't understand.

"Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it."

"_Andy…" _He tried again, ready to apologize, ready for everything.

"No. You have no right! You can't just call and think everything's gonna be okay. It won't! So no, don't even try to apologize because I don't want to hear it. It's too late for that."

"_Please."_ He said and his voice was full of emotions.

"No." She said and hung up the phone. She was breathing fast and couldn't take this anymore. She looked at her two friends and felt her heart rate spiking up.

"Are you okay?" Maya asked.

"No. No, I'm not okay! That selfish bastard!" Andy said, all her emotions coming to the surface, bubbling up.

"Do we know him?" Vic asked Maya but Maya didn't reply. Andy started to talk again. She was pretty curious because that sounded like something very interesting.

"What the hell he thinks? That he just calls me and I what? Come rushing to him?" She said and kept on pacing the living room, furious.

"He comes to my life, turns it upside down and when we actually admit we're close he kicks me out and acts like a jerk and then what? He just calls? Like that could solve anything." Andy kept on with her venting – she needed that. She was obviously full of it.

"I feel sorry for him, whoever he is." Vic said and Maya had to agree. Well, she knew who he was but she still felt sorry for him.

"He can't just think that he saves my life and then… then… aaaaargh! Men! They're… bloody idiots!" Andy finished, all worked up.

"Was that literally or figuratively?" Vic asked, now totally hooked onto the story. Maya opened her mouth to say something but Andy was faster.

"I need some air." Andy said, totally ignoring her friend and taking her jacket she left the apartment. She needed to take a walk, she needed some air. She just needed to be alone.

Inside the apartment Maya looked and Vic. "Don't ask." She said and Vic was protesting but soon realized that she wouldn't make her friend talk.

"I can't believe you're keeping this to yourself."

"It's not my thing to tell." Maya argued.

"I know but it's obviously juicy."

"On that we agree." Maya said.

"I didn't even know she was seeing someone. Well aside from her little thing with Tanner."

"Oh she's past Tanner. He moved to San Diego with his girlfriend, remember?"

"That's some killer, yeah." Vic had to admit. "But the guy on the phone?"

"Complicated." Maya answered.

"Yeah, I got that." Vic said. "She'll be okay?" She asked Maya.

"I hope so. I guess she needs time."

"Did he hurt her?"

"Yeah. He did. But I think it was just a big misunderstanding and it just kept on going worse from there."

"Men." Vic said and leaned back against the couch.

"Men." Maya agreed and leaned back too. They just sat there, resting, till Maya's phone beeped with a message. She reached over and texted someone back.

"Gibson? I should go." Vic said.

"No. I told him I had company." She smiled back. They grinned. They were having a girls' night.

Sullivan was still in the hospital. He was still holding his phone and he knew he couldn't really blame Andy for her reaction but still it hurt. But he was the one to screw up and now he had to pay for it. It was probably a good sign that she even picked up the call.

He was frustrated, he was sad and he was scared. And all those mixed together in a hospital bed? Not a good combination. He didn't really know what to do but knew he could do very little from the hospital.

He heard Luke in his head telling him not to give up if she's worth it. And for the first time in years Sullivan actually thought that indeed she was worth it. And he screwed up because he couldn't admit to her that he had a problem and that he needed help. But damned he didn't want her to save him again! Christ.

He just leaned back in his bed and had real troubles falling asleep that evening. He was thinking about his wife and about his life and about Luke and how everything got so messed up and how he felt lost and then when he came back there was this absolutely horrible Lieutenant on the Station who tried so hard to show him how they didn't need him that she almost lost little boy's life. But then she stood up for Bishop when he was being an ass to her. She picked a fight with her Captain and in front of her Chief to defend her friend.

When Luke came to him to talk that day before he sent him home, he tried to be friendly, he tried to offer help and company but he turned him down. And he would always regret it. Sure, he said they were good before he died but still.

Shift after shift, day by day Sullivan could tell that people of 19 were indeed special. Each of them had a different potential and together they were invincible. He knew he gave them hard time and he knew he was being tough just a little bit too much. But it was his way and he had his reasons. He didn't want to form an attachment. He needed to stay in a safe distance. He could lead them, make them better, stronger, tougher and then he would go, move again to a different station or back to the Academy. But he had his solitude and he didn't want any different.

So how the hell this happened? He started to open up, he started to care. And when he saw them all in action, on their calls, doing their duty and a lot above it, he realized that maybe he didn't like that solitude that much. And it was so damn difficult to reach out to them. To tell them about his life. He was afraid.

But they didn't turn him down, didn't turn away from him. They welcomed him and after the Aid Car crash he had a lot of time to think. So when Pruitt gave him that little speech he couldn't but agree with him. So he went miles out from his comfort zone and tried to be part of the team. And it worked out just okay. He was okay. Even with losing Luke he was happy back in Seattle. And he had the balls to admit that it had a lot to do with Andrea Herrera. That one Lieutenant he could never imagine to like.

But now everything was a mess. And he was an idiot. He actually wished he could call someone and talk about it but he wasn't sure he actually had someone to talk to. He just started to make friends and he wasn't really close to them to the point of sharing something like this. Besides should anyone find out about him and Andy it would end badly. For both of them. He would of course try to take it upon him but he knew how these situations would end.

Sully didn't know how long he kept on staring at the ceiling above him when his phone started to ring. He reached for it hoping it was Andy calling him back although he knew that it was just his wish. No, it was Montgomery. So he picked up.

"Montgomery, hey."

"_Sir, is this a bad time?"_

"No, not at all."

_"I was just… ehm I just wanted to know how did it go. I mean if you called her."_

"Oh." Sullivan didn't expect that.

_"I mean of course you don't have to answer, I know we're not best friends or anything. I just… ehm. I probably shouldn't have called."_ Montgomery stopped talking as he was getting a bit too nervous.

Sullivan didn't answer at first but then he thought why not?

"She picked up the second time."

_"That's great. See? I told you."_

"Well she didn't even let me talk, gave me piece of her mind and hung up on me." Sullivan admitted.

_"Oh. Damn."_

"Something like that, yeah."

_"I'm sorry."_

"Yeah, me too. But I can't blame her."

_"What are you going to do?"_

"I don't know…"

_"Don't give up."_ Montgomery encouraged him and Sullivan had to admit that it felt good to hear it from someone close-ish.

"Thanks for calling, Montgomery."

_"No problem, Sir. Have a good night."_ Montgomery said and ended the call. He would never understand what made him call his Captain and ask about this but it felt like that guy could use a friend. And he did so much for him, helped him out of jail among all, that this was the least he could do.

He was just really curious about who she was. This mysterious woman. Sullivan was keeping his private life very private. They were all very surprised each time he shared something with them. But this was different. He wasn't comfortable with the situation. He wasn't comfortable with himself in the situation. And yet he talked to him about it. He shared something very personal with him.

Maybe they were kind of rubbing off on their Captain. Ha. Who would have thought.

* * *

_A/N Shorter one today, sorry. But it felt right to end this one here. I have some work to do so next one should be up by the end of the week. Sorry.  
_


	10. Little steps

„So Sully, ready to try?" Sullivan's doctor asked him after another week of intense therapy. This was the first opportunity he got to try walking without any support.

"Yeah, you bet I am." He smiled at her. They were at the rehab gym in the hospital along with his therapist. Slowly he put away the crutch he had for support and stood up.

"Slowly, Robert. Just try to stand for a little while." His therapist told him and he nodded. He knew better than not to listen to him.

And so he tried to stand on his own.

"Good. Now try to move your weight." Ray told him and Sullivan did as he was asked. At first it wasn't really comfortable but soon it felt completely normal.

"Shall we?" His doctor asked him and he smiled. "Yeah." He answered and tried to make a step. At first his toes were a bit tingly and his knee wouldn't really bend all the way he needed it to but he knew that without the crutch and without the brace he had been wearing for walking it needed some adjustment time.

So he slowly walked on his own by the safety rail on the side of the room. He made it all around the area and as he noticed the warning look in his doctor's eyes, he rather sat down back to them.

He was so happy he could barely talk. He knew that he could cry any minute.

"I can walk." He told them and Ray slapped his back. "You nailed it man." He told him and they both laughed. His doctor checked his leg and was satisfied.

"So, if you play nice and nothing bad happens in the next 24 hours, you can go home."

"But you'll keep on visiting me for a little longer, Robert." Ray told him.

"Sure. Whatever you say." He would agree with anything. And he knew that he should actually listen to them because just thanks to them he was up and around and with a prospect of returning to his life – and not crippled.

He had been thinking about it and should his leg be giving him troubles he would at least try to get a job at the Academy. He needed firefightening and couldn't live without it. So he decided to find a way – one or another.

"Do you feel up to some more?" Ray asked him. He was – oh damn he was. His doc left them and Ray with Robert spent the whole morning till lunch exercising his leg. It felt so good.

Ray tried to make a small talk couple of times but Sully wasn't really good at it. The awkwardness made them both laugh. Sully admitted that he hadn't really been this type of guy for a while – actually ever since he lost Claire. So Ray took it upon himself to help him get a bit better in this. So he made him talk about small things and nothings, to share bits and pieces of his life without the awkward tension.

"So what are you going to do about your little dove?" Ray asked when he was massaging Sullivan's leg back in his room after all the exercise.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, man. It's so obvious."

"Really? How?"

Ray just gave him a look and Sully had to laugh.

"I need to practice hiding this." He said instead.

"So someone from the department, huh? Or best friend's sister?" Ray asked with a grin. Sully felt the known pang in his chest when somebody mentioned Luke.

"No, my best friend died not so long ago and his sister is like my own." He told him.

"The Chief." Ray said after a moment when he tried to recall the little bits Sullivan had told him before.

"Yeah."

"Sorry. I've heard about him."

Sullivan just nodded, suddenly feeling tired.

"So it's someone from the department." Ray wouldn't budge and Sully had to laugh. That man could be persistent.

"You know what?"

"None of my business?" Ray asked back.

"That too." Sully smiled at him. "But I was going to say that I might tell you one day, once I figure it all out." Sullivan replied and Ray stayed silent, looking sympathetically at him. "I messed up." Sullivan admitted. "Now I have to figure out how to fix it." He said.

"Good luck. She's gotta be someone special."

"She is." Sullivan answered after a moment and as he was exhausted he leaned back into his bed as soon as Ray stopped. Before Ray washed his hands and had time to leave the room, Sullivan was asleep.

In the meantime it was a busy day at Station 19. There was an accident with a bus and two cars involved so there was a lot of work to do and a lot of victims to treat. There were three units there including 19.

"So Warren, glad to be back?" Miller asked Warren. It was his first day back from the leave he had to take before his case got closed.

"Oh yeah. Couldn't be happier." Warren asked as he was treating couple of kids from the bus. They were sitting next to each other on the gurney in front of the Aid Car.

"Just admit it, Warren. You missed us." Bishop said as she was helping more kids out of the crashed bus. These were unharmed, just shocked from the accident itself.

Warren just laughed because he just wouldn't answer that question. He turned his attention back to the kids.

When he got a call from the Chief the day before yesterday, he was just watching TV with Miranda. It was late in the evening so he feared the worst. But they talked about it with Miranda and agreed that if he could get his job on 19 back, he would probably take it. But no extra shifts so he would have more time for her and Tuck. She promised she would try to do the same so she would rest more and be less stressed. They were trying really hard to make it work and to be happy together.

The Chief called him to tell him that he was officially cleaned from all the accusations Carter raised against him. They noted that he indeed in times didn't strictly follow protocol, but that he was acting in the best interest of his patients and including the last reported incident in L.A. it led to their survival. With all the letters of recommendations from his colleagues both from Station 19 and Grey Sloan, including Captains Sullivan and Herrera, the Chief politely replied to Carter, he enclosed all the evidence he gathered and closed the case from the Seattle FD side.

Sure, Medic One wasn't happy but so far they didn't try to take any other steps against Warren. It would probably get a bit awkward once they would cross paths on calls but Warren could live with that. So when the Chief offered him his job back and apologized he couldn't do more for him as he knew he really wanted to be part of Medic One, Warren asked him to give him time so he could talk to his wife.

And in the morning he called, told him he would take it and the Chief was more than just happy. He told him that the department needed people like him and if Medic One wasn't interested, it was their loss.

Warren was disappointed that he didn't get the job but he knew he could be useful, helpful and keep on saving lives even on 19 so he could live with it. And after talking to Miranda and his colleagues from both Grey Sloan and 19, after visiting Sullivan and talking to him as well, Warren knew he would never regret the actions he took to save those people, to help them.

The first day back he went right to Gibson who was more than happy to see him – for more than just one reason. He reported back to duty and in an hour he was sitting at the Aid Car with Montgomery, on their way to the crash site. And Warren realized he was happy. Happy to be here, with these people, to have his job back... he was just happy.

"So things are almost back to normal." Vic said when she was walking past him to grab some gear she needed.

"What do you call normal?" Gibson asked her as he was helping her. He talked to Pruitt and for this call he tagged along and Pruitt stayed at the Station.

Vic grinned at him and they got back to work. It was exhausting and it took them almost whole day to take care of it. Now another unit was taking over to clean up and aid cars and ambulances were taking victims to hospitals. Aside from two serious head injuries they had to treat just cuts and bruises, so it was actually a lucky day.

When they called back to report their status, Andy talked to her dad. And so when they got back, there was food waiting for them in the beanery.

"Go, take a shower and eat, people."

"We have to restock first, Sir." Maya argued.

"That can wait. You need to eat. Go." He said and with a smile she nodded and along with everyone else she walked away. Shower sounded heavenly.

Maya was watching Andy the whole week but it seemed that the thing with Sullivan was over. After she left the apartment and spent couple of hours walking outside, she came back and went to bed. And in the morning she smiled at her, wished her good morning and didn't come back to either the call or the whole incident.

Maya shared a look with Vic who stayed overnight. Hughes understood that it was better not to ask so she didn't. And Maya did the same. Andy would tell them if she needed to. Or when she was ready. Maya would love to know Vic's opinion but as she said before, it was not her thing to share.

But she was dying to know herself! What the hell?! She still thought that there was something about Andy and Sullivan that just seemed to click at some point. But she also knew that it wasn't everything. So when Andy wanted to play it cool and act like everything was okay, she would tag along. She was just curious how Andy would react once Sullivan was back.

The next day as they met in the beanery for breakfast, Gibson came late.

"Sorry, I had a call."

"Something wrong?" Miller asked.

"No, actually no. Sullivan's being released home this afternoon."

"What? That's great." Montgomery said happily.

"Do you know something?" Vic asked.

"I just talked to him. He said he started to walk on his own so he can go home." Gibson said as he reached over for a bagel.

"They'll probably have him come for physical therapy couple of days a week if he progresses nicely." Warren added.

"So do you think he'll be back at some point?" Andy asked Warren.

"Maybe, yeah." Warren smiled at her encouragingly.

They all talked a bit more about him, Gibson gave them the assignments for the day then, and before they could put the dirty dishes and cups to the dishwasher, the dispatch called for Aid Car and Engine. Pruitt told them to go and that he would take care of it.

Andy and Maya were together on the Aid Car.

"Are you okay?" Maya asked Andy.

"Yeah, why shouldn't I be?" Andy asked back as she was driving.

"About Sullivan." Maya said after a long moment of silence. "I know we're not talking about it and that you said you were okay but if he's coming back you'll have to face him sooner or later."

"I know. And I'm okay."

"Huh." Maya didn't believe her. "Really?" She asked doubtfully.

"Really. We're adults. So we'll be professionals. It will be okay. We might go back to being awkward and tense..."

"Sure, that sounds great. Back to the beginning." Maya's voice dripped with irony.

"Back to the beginning." Andy smiled at her and they actually grinned at each other. Come what may, right? Okay so the beginning wasn't that great but they could handle it. Right?

"Your taste in men is really questionable though." Bishop told her.

"Says the one dating Gibson." Andy shot back and Maya shot her a look that could kill. "But I'm happy for you." Andy added. "I mean it, Maya. I am happy for you two."

"Thank you." Maya thanked her and knew that at least the two of them were okay.

Andy tried to play it cool, she really did. And whole week she was just fine. Totally fine. She was trying not to think about it so she stayed busy. She was doing okay during the day but the evenings were a bit worse. She hated to admit it but there was a little part of her... well, little part of her that would like to know more about him and how he was doing and... damned.

There was a little part of her that missed him. Truly missed him. And she didn't know how to silence that little voice telling her to give him a chance, to talk to him, to let him finally apologize and explain and... and maybe, just maybe... no, she was not going there.

She wasn't used to this and couldn't cope with it. Sullivan should have never been important to her. How the hell did it happen? He was annoying and horrible and too serious and would never smile and never share a thing, they disliked him, he was there to crash their lives, they were just assets. But along these lines also came the distant thought that she was too annoying, horrible and that he disliked her because she was giving him a hard time anytime she could.

They both changed. And for the better it seemed.

Andy knew she was a better firefighter, better person, she was different and she was glad. That's why she hated where they stood now even more. Because of that it was even more difficult to accept the huge gap between them, all that happened, all the hurt and anger.

By the end of the week Andy was tense and stressed. She wasn't sleeping well and everything felt just different. Nothing would help her brain to slow down, not work, not exercising, not work out. She also got another call from Ryan. He texted her couple of times during the past weeks, just telling her he was okay in San Diego and asking about her father. This time he called.

She felt like she needed a break. So she knocked on the Captain's office with a plan in her head.

"Hey, Gibson, got a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I wanted to ask if I could take couple of days off."

"Vacation? Now?" Jack asked, unsure if he understood her right.

"Yeah. I don't sleep well lately and I'm stressed and tired. I need to get out of here for a couple of days, go hiking, clear my head, just relax. I'm not asking you to let me leave for weeks, just give me couple of days, please." Andy admitted to him how she felt and Jack regarded her for a moment.

"Is one week enough?" He asked her. "Warren is back, Montgomery is back, your dad is here so I can go on calls. So if you need a break, take a break. " He said and he meant it. He knew her well enough to see that she really needed to go away for some time.

"Thank you." She said.

"I'll try not to call." He told her jokingly and she grinned.

"So I should keep my phone turned off?"

"Have a good time, Andy. Rest. And if there's anything I could do..." He offered, glad he could be a friend to her even after their complicated history.

"Thanks, Jack." She replied with a sincere smile and left his office.


	11. San Diego

It was Saturday morning and Maya wasn't home, she was staying over at Gibson's. Andy was glad because she didn't have to explain anything to her.

The truth was that she was not planning on going hiking. She needed to clear her head, yes, that was true, but she was not about to go hiking. She was taking a trip down to San Diego. Andy decided to drive to San Diego. She would rent a car and either drive it back home then or give it back in San Diego and take a flight. She wasn't sure yet. Gibson gave her whole week, which was good. But the trip was 19 hours on the road plus all the stops she would have to take to rest. She hoped to be in San Diego on Sunday after lunch to meet Ryan.

Tanner was her childhood friend and ex-lover. So when he called and asked her if she could come because he needed her help, her first reaction was to say yes, of course. Then all the questions came. He was not living in Seattle anymore. He was in a different state now. And with his girlfriend. Why did he call her? Why did he ask her for help? What was that about? He wasn't willing to share much over the phone but he asked her to come, he said please and her gut was telling her that Tanner got into some troubles and truly needed help.

And after the last couple of weeks she could use the road trip to clear her head. Maybe even sort it out how she actually felt about Sullivan. And she could maybe still go hiking once she was back in Seattle. Week was a really long time.

It was Sunday after lunch when she finally parked in front of a little inn where she had booked a room. She didn't really like motels and didn't need a fancy hotel. Little comfortable inn was far better choice. It was bed and breakfast style which suited her perfectly. It was a quiet place and she liked it. The receptionist was dear old lady, she showed her around and took her to her room. It was a lovely place.

Andy was tired but didn't want to go to bed so early. Ryan would wait for tomorrow. She wasn't ready to face him and his problems. She took a shower and went out for a walk, hoping to find someplace she could buy coffee and maybe some dinner. She would go back to the inn then, take a long soothing bath and go to sleep in that soft queen size bed she had in her room.

Back in her room she knew she should call Maya. She would get worried soon and Andy didn't like it that she had to lie to her. Well she didn't exactly lie, she just didn't tell her the whole truth. Yeah, like that would make a difference.

Damned.

She would call her tomorrow after meeting Ryan. She still didn't know what he could possibly want. What could have happened to him that he needed her help here in San Diego? She just hoped it wasn't about him breaking up with Jenna or something. She would probably turn around and leave if it was that case.

Bah, no she probably wouldn't. But it would suck anyway if this was about his love life.

And that of course made her think about hers. She hoped to clear her head on the road but somehow it didn't really help. Or maybe it did but she wasn't happy about the outcome. The only thing that was clear to her was that she had to talk to Sullivan. She just hated how things were between them now. It was wrong.

The trip reminded her all about L.A. and their trip down there and back home, it was all so bright in her head she could even feel the heat of the fire when it was above the water surrounding them. What happened between them back then was... so intimate, so beautiful despite the horrifying circumstances that she would probably never forget it. When he touched her face and looked into her eyes, everything stopped. His hand on her cheek, the slow movement of his fingers... her face still tingled from that touch.

Not to mention bunch of whole different touches that came later, huh.

Well she was in no better state of mind apparently. She was very conflicted about him. But deep down she knew she missed him. So she would take care of Ryan and his problems and then once back home, she would talk to Sullivan. She was still mad at him, that was without a doubt. But there was more to it.

Morning came quickly so she called Ryan.

"Hey, Ry, it's me. I'm here."

"_Andy, good. Thank God."_

"Where are you?"

"_Could you come to Sharp Memorial? Just text me when you're here."_

"What? You're in hospital? What happened?" Andy was clearly worried.

"_Just come, okay?"_

"Ryan!" She tried but he was no longer there. "Damned Tanner!" Andy cursed under her breath. She took her rented car and set the navigation to Sharp Memorial. Now was probably the time to call Maya. She didn't pick up so she left her a message.

Andy met Ryan in the hospital, he took her to surgical ICU. He was okay though. They sat down in the corridor.

"Will you finally tell me what the hell is going on?" Andy asked.

Ryan was sitting in the chair, his elbows on his knees, head down. He looked horrible.

"Ryan." Andy called his name again.

"Jenna got shot." He said.

"What? Oh my God." Andy reacted, worried.

"It's my fault." Ryan admitted.

"Ryan? Tell me what is going on." Andy said again, firmly. She needed to know so she could help him and go home. She was worried and upset and there was this little ringing bell in her head warning her to get the hell out of there.

Ryan got up and started to pace the small area back and forth. After a while he looked at Andy. She's seen him like that before. And it was never good.

"Last week I got a few really weird messages. Someone cut my tyres. Then I had a dead dog on my porch."

"What the hell, Tanner?"

"I think it's about my dad." He admitted.

"How is your dad involved? I thought you haven't seen him in a while."

"Yeah, couple of months. But he left me a bag full of money." He said and Andy got the message immediately.

"Tell me you didn't take that money." She said and he didn't answer.

"Ryan!" Andy was mad now.

"I know, okay?! I know! I took the money. He said it was clean."

"And you believed him?"

"Yeah, Andy, he's my father, I believed him." He told her, sitting down next to her. "I took the money. I shouldn't have, I know. But I did. And then I used part of it to make some larger payments here."

"Large payments?" She asked him and he stayed silent.

"You weren't planning on coming back to Seattle, were you?" And she sounded hurt. Damn she was hurt.

"Andy..." He tried but she stopped him. She couldn't listen to that now. Or ever.

"What happened then? The threats?" She asked and he knew her well enough to know that he shouldn't go back to the previous.

"Yeah. After we found the dead dog on the porch I told Jenna everything about my dad. She got mad."

"No kidding..." Andy said and Ryan shot her a look.

"I told her she was safe. That it would be okay." Ryan said and didn't speak anymore. Andy was thinking about it, her head was spinning, she was mad and hurt and there was something else in her she couldn't pinpoint.

"So you called me." She said then finally. "Because you needed help and your girlfriend was mad at you." She accused him.

"I called you because you're my best friend. And I thought we would figure something out. We always do." He admitted.

"But?" Andy asked as she could hear it in the sentence. There was a but coming for sure.

"But yesterday when I wasn't home someone drove past the apartment building and people heard shots. They got Jenna. She was in surgery for hours, Andy. Hours." He was getting emotional.

"God, Ryan..."

"They shot her because of me. Because I took my father's money. And I think I'm next on the list. And I don't know what to do." He admitted and leaned back against the wall behind him. It was all just too much.

Andy wanted to comfort him because he was clearly distressed and worried but she also wanted to punch him in the face for being such idiot.

"I can't believe you weren't planning on coming back to Seattle. And I can't believe you dragged me into this mess." Andy told him.

"What did the police say?" She asked.

"They have no suspects so far. The car had no plates and it all happened too fast." He answered.

"But they must have some known associates of your father, people he owed or something." Andy argued and when she caught Ryan's face she got really mad.

"You didn't tell them." She said firmly, her jaw tense and her heart rate speeding up.

"No. They asked so I told them about the threats but..." He stopped and looked her in the eyes finally. "I couldn't point a finger to my own father."

"I don't believe you!" Andy was so upset she had to try really hard to control herself. She at least punched him in the arm.

"And what are you going to do, huh? They shot your girlfriend because of your dad's money and you won't tell them?" She was mad, he could tell.

"What would you have to tell them?" He argued back and had to calm himself down as he was in the hospital and didn't want the nurse who has been watching them the past half an hour to tell him to leave or shut the hell up.

"The truth, Ryan!" Andy argued back but he couldn't do that so he didn't even answer. One part of him knew she was right but he just couldn't.

Sitting back down he watched people in the ICU silently. Andy was sitting next to him, not knowing what to say. This was even bigger mess than she had originally imagined. And she was part of it now because she needed to run away from a completely different mess. Nothing was easy now, was it?

Ryan was her friend and she wanted to help him, she truly did. But she didn't see any other solution than to turn himself in to the police and tell them everything. She believed it was their best shot. They would at least have a place to start with their investigation. He was a cop after all so this kind of threat and life endangering attacks should be a top priority, he was one of their own after all.

Thinking back to all she knew about him and his father, she could understand the need to believe the money was clean. But still... it was a stupid move.

Then there was the other issue. Ryan needed to make some large payments.

"Would you tell me you weren't coming back?" She asked then, after a long heavy silence.

"I wasn't sure about it. But I would have told you."

"I wish I could believe you." Andy said and Ryan just reached over and took her hand in his. Andy was surprised by it but let him. But to her own surprise the touch didn't feel as right as it used to.

"Things were different recently. And with Jenna I just... well I needed the change." He admitted.

"I can understand that. But after everything we lived through together you wouldn't tell me?"

"You moved out first. And then your father."

"But you're my friend."

"And you're mine. I just didn't want to be your safe bet."

"You weren't." She told him but didn't really believe it herself. Maybe he was. Maybe she kept on coming back to him because she knew he wouldn't break her heart. He didn't comment on it.

They heard noises and people shouting orders. Both knew what those meant. Jenna was in cardiac arrest. She was fighting for her life. They watched in horror people running to her room with equipment, they heard the unmistakable sounds of shocks being delivered, they heard names of medicaments the nurses administrated to Jenna to help her win the fight.

But after agonizing length of time the cacophony of sounds suddenly stopped. Ryan was standing, he knew he was crying but he didn't care. When the doctor he met briefly in the morning came with that – THAT – expression on his face, Ryan refused to listen. But the man told him anyway.

"I'm sorry. We did all we could."

"No." He kept on refusing it.

"She lost a lot of blood when she got shot. The surgery was very extensive and it was too much on her heart. I really am sorry." The doc told him and as he knew it was better to leave, he just nodded at Andy and left them. Ryan collapsed into the chair, he felt tears on his face and just barely noticed Andy holding his hand again. She wasn't sure about what to do so she opted for this. It was his call.

"I need to see her."

"Ryan, don't." She tried to reason with him.

"No, I have to." He answered. "Will you wait here? For me?" He asked and she just nodded. So he walked away and asked the nurse to let him see Jenna. She knew they were not relatives but he's been there the whole time waiting for any information, he was the one to call her mother and she could tell he cared about her. So she told him to wait and after a moment she came to get him and took him to her room. She was lying on a bed, there was a clean sheet over her. He moved it so he could see her face. And when he did he broke down completely.

The nurse let him.

After some time, he wasn't sure how long it was, Andy came to him.

"Let's go, Ry." She said softly and he let her take him away from Jenna. They left the hospital by a side entrance. Ryan had some of his things in a hotel room as his apartment was a crime scene after the shooting. So she drove him over to the hotel.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Can we talk tomorrow?" He asked back.

"Ryan..." She warned him.

"I just need a little time. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid." She asked.

"I promise." He promised. She gave him a questioning look. "Really. I promise." He said and she nodded.

"Call me if you need anything." She offered. He nodded.

"Ryan? I'm sorry." She said and hugged him quickly. He hugged her back and with a soft thank you he left her in the parking lot in front of his hotel.


	12. Simple question

_I'm so sorry people. I didn't go AWOL but I had injured my leg pretty badly and with two little kids and a lot of work to do it was just too crazy and there was no time and no energy to write. And with the beginning of new season of Grey's Anatomy with both Vic and Ben in there it all got so messed up… BUT I will finish this story and hopefully you'll be happy with it although it's pretty sure now, that the beginning of season 3 of Station 19 will be totally different from what we imagined._

* * *

It was Tuesday morning and it was sunny and bright. It was a nice day. It was early but people were already walking on the streets, to-go cups in their hands, some on the phone, some with headphones and some deep in thought. Sullivan was watching them as he stood at the entrance of Station 19. He hadn't been there in several long agonizing weeks. Damn he missed that place. He was nervous and wasn't sure if he wanted to go inside at all.

One part of him just wanted to turn around and walk away but he was no coward. He could do this. He could face his people, his team, possibly his Chief. He could face Andy. He was not coming back to work but he wanted to stop by and just be there for a minute, maybe talk to Pruitt about sharing desk-duty in a week or so after his next physical evaluation.

And honestly, he was hoping Andy would be there and he could talk to her. He tried calling her two more times but she didn't pick up and he couldn't really blame her. But he had enough time to sort it all out in his head – and heart – and he knew that no matter the outcome, he wanted and needed to talk to her about what happened. He wanted to come out clean and tell her what happened and why and that he was sorry, so so sorry, for being an ass.

"Sir?" He suddenly heard Gibson. He turned around.

"Hey, Gibson." He greeted him. Gibson instantly smiled and Sully had to admit that he wasn't that nervous anymore.

"Good morning. Good to see you up and around."

"Yeah, thought I could stop by to see how you're you guys doing." Sullivan admitted.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" Gibson asked.

"No, not really." Sullivan answered but still stood there and didn't go inside.

"Eh, Sir, are you coming in?" He asked. "Others will be happy to see you, really." Gibson added and in a moment Sullivan nodded.

"Yeah, breakfast sounds good."

And so they walked inside. Gibson went instantly upstairs to the beanery. Sullivan stopped by his office. He noticed few changes but there was nothing out of place. He talked to the Chief and saw the records and reports so he knew his Station was doing well without him. It made him think about his future here, especially should it be awkward with Andy. He had already decided to leave so she could stay and be happy. He was the one to screw up and it also seemed he had done his job here, the job Pruitt and Luke wanted him to do.

He had to be there longer than he thought because Gibson was coming back down to see what was the problem. He stopped few steps from him.

"Sir?"

"Yeah?"

"Everything okay?"

"Sure."

"You know it's still your office, right?" Gibson said and Sullivan looked him in the eye.

"You earned it, Gibson. You're doing great."

"I hate it." Gibson admitted after a moment.

"Excuse me?"

"It's just paperwork and reports and sheets and stamps and you don't get to go on calls so often and you have to deal with so many details that keep you from the actual job." Gibson listed. Sully listened to him patiently.

"I thought I wanted this but honestly, Sir, I don't understand how you can stand it."

Sully had to chuckle. That earned him a curious look from Gibson.

"Sorry, Gibson. It's just you sound like someone I know."

"Really? Who?"

"Me."

"What?"

"When Luke was making his career he tried talking me into doing the same. But I just wanted to be in the field, on the calls. I thought this was not the job for me."

"But you're a Captain now."

"Yeah. A lot has changed after Claire died." Sullivan admitted. They stood there in silence.

"I think you got what it's needed to make a good Captain, Gibson. Otherwise I wouldn't suggest you for the position."

"And I'm grateful Sir, and maybe one day I'll be happy to be a Captain but I'm counting days till I can give you your office back now." Gibson answered honestly.

Sullivan nodded and both felt better. One issue resolved. Before they could walk upstairs there was a delivery boy at the door. Sullivan ordered some pies so he wouldn't come to his first team breakfast empty handed. Gibson helped him to carry them upstairs and they talked about calls and started on coffee.

One by one people came in and chattered and when they saw Sullivan they were genuinely happy. They asked a lot of questions and they all talked. Sullivan talked to Warren, standing aside, as well as to Montgomery at some point. He appreciated that Montgomery didn't try to ask about the issue they talked about before right there in front of everyone. That guy was a good one.

The last to come was Hughes. When she saw Sullivan she actually smiled at him and before he could say a thing she walked over to him and hugged him. It was quick and surprising but she just couldn't help it. Others waited for his reaction but before he could even react she moved away.

"You're back, Sir?" Hughes asked.

"No, just visiting. But if all goes well I might get to do some paperwork at least in a week or so."

"So you're better?"

"Yeah. Look, people, I owe you an explanation. I wanted to wait till you're all here. Where's Herrera?"

"Herrera's taking few days off, Sir. She went hiking to clear her head." Gibson told him. He told others yesterday and they all agreed that she could use the few days to relax. They could tell she needed it. Sullivan was a bit surprised though. He tried not to show how that affected him so he just took a deep breath.

"So I'll talk to her once she's back." He said. Sitting down he told them about his injury, recovery and all.

"So you'll be okay." Maya asked.

"I should, yeah. I'm not done with recovery yet but there's a lot of progress and if all goes well I should be back, fully on duty." He told them.

"We're glad, Sir." Miller said.

Before they could talk anymore the dispatch called and so part of the crew had to leave. They all wished him well before leaving. Those who stayed made started with their chores and duties. Sullivan stayed in the beanery and finished his coffee silently.

God he missed this place.

In about ten minutes he heard footsteps so he turned and watched Bishop come to him.

"Sir, do you have a minute?" She asked him.

"Sure, Bishop, what's up?" He replied and as she stood by the counter he stood up and walked over to her to match her stance. Maya didn't really know how to tell him and she totally hated the position she found herself in right then.

"It's about Andy, Sir. She's not hiking."

"Okay?" He wasn't following.

"She drove over to San Diego. Tanner called and it was some sort of emergency." She said and noticed how his face changed.

"And?" He asked after a moment.

"Sir I think she's in troubles. Or she will be soon."

"Bishop I'm not sure I'm following." He admitted honestly. Knowing Andy lied to her crew to take a trip to see her ex was something he didn't really wish to think about.

Maya took out her phone and after hitting few keys she just played the voicemail she got from Andy.

"Hi, Maya, it's me. Look, I know you're mad I went over here to help Ryan but I needed to do it. I needed to clear my head and get some distance from everything. And you were right, I couldn't face Sullivan." At that point Maya looked at her boss and knew that this cut him close to his heart. The message continued: "Ryan's in trouble. It has something to do with his dad. I'll explain once I'm back home, okay? Jenna was shot, she's dead. Damned, Maya, I should have told you so you could have talked me out of this." Andy paused then and the message ended.

"Bishop…" Sullivan wanted to say something but she just hit another key.

"Maya? It's me again. Look, I gotta help him somehow. I'm sorry about this. I'm texting you the address of the Inn just in case. Okay. Bye."

Maya stood there, her phone in her hand and she watched her Captain and the painful expression on his face. He walked away to the window and just stood there silently.

"Sir…" She tried but he didn't turn around.

How could he? Something was wrong. Herrera left and he was here and she sounded stressed and worried and he was part of the reason why had left in the first place. She couldn't face him. She didn't want to. He wanted to fight, wanted to apologize and explain but it seemed it was all over now.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he completely missed Bishop coming closer to him once again.

"Bishop…"

"Do you care about her?" She asked directly as it was obvious he would try to avoid this topic at all cost. Not that she could really blame him.

"Excuse me?"

"It's a simple question, Sir. Do you care about her? Yes or no?" She asked and he looked at her with a warning written all over his face.

"Because honestly, Sir, I think you do." She said and he still didn't answer.

"She told me a bit about what happened between you two but I think she got it wrong."

"She told you what exactly?" He couldn't help himself, he had to ask.

"I know what happened in L.A., I know what happened afterwards. I know she's been visiting you in hospital and I know you told her to go."

"So why exactly are we having this conversation, Lieutenant?" He asked, tried to defend what's been left of his composure and pride.

"Correct me if I am wrong but I think you told her to go not because you changed your mind but because you were hurting and scared and didn't want her around. I think it was about your leg and the situation. I think you care about her so much you didn't want her to see you broken. Not again." She was getting really fierce and he knew why and could understand it perfectly.

"Do you?" She asked then when she calmed down a bit.

"And if I do?" He asked back, emotions hitting him like tidal waves, knocking him down and squeezing something in his chest he could barely breathe.

"My gut is telling me she needs help. And if I could, I would already be on a plane to San Diego to grab her and drag her home." She admitted.

"But you can't. Station would be understaffed."

"And it would put the people we swore to protect in danger. Yes. So I'm asking once again, do you care about her?" She asked and wasn't ashamed of the tears she felt in the corners of her eyes.

"Yes." He answered then.

"So as you're not on active duty…" She started.

"I can get on a plane and drag her home you think?" He asked back. She nodded.

"Bishop, I'm the last person she would want to see let alone listen to me."

"You're wrong about that." She said. "She might be angry but that's just because she cares about you too and this whole thing, this big misunderstanding really got to her."

"Damned." He swore.

"Sir?"

"Text me the address, Bishop."

"Really?"

"I've worked with you long enough to know I better trust your gut feelings." He told her.

She nodded and texted him the address of the Inn where Andy was staying. Without a word he called the company he always used to get the best plane tickets and booked himself one way ticket to San Diego. He had to be at the airport in an hour. Well, that would be close. Luckily he still had his travel bag packed and ready here at the station. They all did.

"Bring her home, please."

"I'll try." He answered her and without saying another word he left the Station, leaving her standing there in the beanery. She collapsed in one of the chairs and allowed herself a moment to slow down her breathing.

Not in a million years she would imagine that she would ever have such talk with her Captain, let alone Captain Sullivan. But she was right. She was right about him and Andy and the whole thing and she felt only a bit guilty. It was trued that she couldn't really leave the Station. But she was sure that if she told Gibson about the situation he would personally book her a plane ticket.

Well, Sullivan was a safe bet. He would go there and bring Andy home. Besides it would give them time to talk. They were both stubborn but maybe being there outside the Station would make them feel better. She also realized that he booked one way ticket for himself. So he was either planning on driving back or he didn't want to book a ticket until he was sure they were both coming back.

She tried to recall the whole conversation, all his emotions he tried to hide but didn't succeed that much. The anger, the worry, the hurt and the jealousy. But there was something in his eyes, something deep and warm. Something that didn't use to be there before. She was right. He did care about Andy. A lot.


	13. Crash

Andy was having late breakfast with other guests of the little Inn she so miraculously found. Should she ever find herself in San Diego again, this would be her place for sure. Even the huge dining room was comfortable and cozy. She could easily forget all her worries there under different circumstances.

Normally she wouldn't eat so much but she had restless night. She barely slept. Events of the previous day made her head spin. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened. Ryan got himself into deep troubles and she still wasn't sure if he really hoped she would come and help him or if he just didn't want to face it alone. But she came. And now she was part of this mess.

She came here to San Diego to avoid one necessary conversation with her Captain. She ran away like a coward. And now, after having eggs, toast, bacon, juice, coffee, waffles and some amazing apple pie, she was just trying to figure out what to do.

Ryan had to go to the Police. But he didn't want to. She could understand his hesitation but this was no longer about him. Jenna died. She died because he took money from his father and used it to pay for something here because he wanted to stay here for good. With Jenna.

Yesterday she thought it hurt to be left out of that but after thinking about it all most of the night she realized that he was no longer the Ryan she used to know. He was her friend but he has changed. Well so did she. She sighed and checked her watch. It was past 9 and she was in no hurry. Ryan said he would call so she decided to wait.

She looked around. Two tables left she saw a couple. They were sitting across each other but kept on smiling at each other, passing the syrup and everything back and forth, occasionally brushing fingers. She would put her hair behind her ear and he would just look down. They were so nervous and yet seemed so happy.

Andy felt the weight inside her chest again. She came here thinking the distance would help her to understand what was going on with her and Sullivan. But the truth was exactly the opposite. It was like he was constantly with her, on her mind. It was driving her crazy. She was old enough to know that they just had to have that talk. Boy she didn't want to. She didn't want him to tell her he was no longer interested. And part of her didn't want him to apologize and say he still was interested. Both options were scary and tough and she found herself in a circle she couldn't escape.

She missed their shared coffees, she missed the work-outs and she missed the late dinners when he was too busy to remember to eat and she couldn't just walk away. Those were such good times. But they lost Ripley, then the funeral had shaken them so much they could barely stand on their feet. And the wildfire that should have helped them to forget just made things more difficult, for all of them. Well, Sullivan was right, the wildfire was unique and life-changing experience.

Watching those two holding hands across the table she finished her coffee and realized – not for the first time – that she missed him. She was still mad. A lot. But maybe it was time to stop running from things she didn't really want to face. He was her Captain, her friend. He saved her life more than just once. And he helped her to be a better person. He deserved the chance to tell her what he needed to. She felt bad for not picking up when he called but she just couldn't back then.

Andy got up, checking her watch and knowing she had to go soon so she would be over at Ryan's hotel on time. She would deal with him, talk to him, make him go to the Police and then she'll go home and… and call Sullivan. She owed him that much.

Back in her room she took her phone and called Maya. She didn't pick up so Andy left her a voicemail.

„Hi, Maya, it's me. Look, I know you're mad I went over here to help Ryan but I needed to do it. I needed to clear my head and get some distance from everything. And you were right, I couldn't face Sullivan." Andy said honestly and felt the known pang in her chest. "Ryan's in trouble. It has something to do with his dad. I'll explain once I'm back home, okay? Jenna was shot, she's dead." Andy said and felt so angry and worried. "Damned, Maya, I should have told you so you could have talked me out of this." She continued and taking a deep breath she ended the message.

Damned. She couldn't do this, could she? How could she persuade Tanner to do the right thing and tell the cops everything? He's a cop himself. Going to prison would kill him and ruin him. But was there any other option? She was not about to support his stupid ideas if he wanted to spend his life as a fugitive with possible hit on him. Any bastard could shoot him for a price not because he was a cop but because he was a Tanner.

Andy got worried. This would be bad. She knew it would. Picking up her phone she called Maya again. "Maya? It's me again. Look, I gotta help him somehow. I'm sorry about this. I'm texting you the address of the Inn just in case. Okay. Bye." She ended the call, texted her the address and knowing she had to go she left her room and drove over to Ryan's hotel. Thank God for the navigation on her phone, she would be totally lost in the city. Yesterday she was following his directions from the hospital but she wouldn't have made it to the Inn either.

It was 10 o'clock and Andy was waiting in the lobby for Ryan to show up. Back in Seattle Sullivan was just entering the airport with the small travel bag over his shoulder. He went to pick up his flight ticket first.

"Hi, I've got a booked ticket for Robert Sullivan for Delta DL1192." He told the woman at the desk, handing her is ID.

"Okay, let me check…" She said and clicked a few keys.

"Do you have any luggage, Captain?" She addressed him with his rank as she had in the computer.

"No." He answered.

"Well then, you have to hurry Sir." She told him, printed out the ticket and told him which check-point to use and to which gate he should go then. Normally he would have to be at the airport two hours before his flight but being the flight domestic and he being a Seattle FD Captain, he knew well enough not to bring any luggage so then one hour would be enough for him. Sometimes having connections proved to be useful. Normally he wouldn't do this but this situation was different. He didn't want to – and couldn't – wait for next flight.

So at 11:03 he was seated, buckled in and his flight was just about to take off. In two hours and thirty-seven minutes he'd be in San Diego and if all went well, in about 14:30 he could be at the Inn hoping Herrera would at least give him a chance before telling him to go to hell. He was nervous and he was worried. He felt like an idiot. But there was a chance Bishop was right and he wouldn't willingly risk Andy's life or health. He knew a bit about Tanner's father from Pruitt so he could guess that whatever's been going on had to be bad. And if Herrera found herself in the middle of it he would do his best to help her out. If she let him, of course. Which was something he wasn't sure about but knew he had to try. She could hate him later, once they'll be safe in Seattle.

The flight was uneventful and he was only grateful. He didn't particularly like planes. It was better to be safely on the ground. But in this case time was the essence so he had to swallow down his fears and just take a plane.

It was little past two when he got a taxi and gave the driver address of the Inn he had from Bishop. The driver said it would take them about half an hour but Sullivan didn't mind. It was definitely better to take a taxi instead of trying to find his way through the public transport in a city he knew basically nothing about.

He was nervous a bit but deep down he knew that Herrera meant more to him than he would willingly admit so he was not about to turn his back on her. Not now. Not like this. He owed her a lot and honestly? He missed her like hell. Not just Andy as a friend he grew to respect and admire, but also Andy as … well just Andy, the way she fitted into his arms, the way she smelled, the tone of her laughter and to be totally frank, getting to taste her kiss was enough for him to know that it was addictive.

It's not like he was living as a monk since losing his wife but those women that came and left his life meant nothing. He wasn't interested in them. He was in a dark place before coming back to Seattle. But when he told Herrera that it was easy for him to be open with her, he meant it. Thinking back he could tell he has changed and was now living a better and happier life. He wasn't that far to talk about some deep feelings, but there was definitely something there. And he wasn't ready to give up.

Andy was surprised when Ryan showed up without his things.

"Hey."

"Hey. Can I talk to you?" He asked and she agreed of course. They walked outside the hotel.

"Look, I called Jenna's mother yesterday. I need to take care of things in the hospital. Will you go with me?"

"Ryan…" She warned him.

"I owe it to her, Andy. I need to this."

"Okay. And then what?"

"Then we come here, I get my stuff, we go over to your Inn, you grab your things and then you'll take me to a Police Station here in San Diego."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I need to give them a statement and the money and Jenna got killed here so I need to do it here. Besides back in Seattle with the guys knowing me… No, I'll do it here."

"All right then." Andy answered, unsure but she could tell he had made his decision.

"Listen, Andy, you drop me there and you go. You leave and you won't come back."He sounded urgent.

"What?" Andy asked back because this was not the way she pictured it happening.

"I'm not gonna risk your life too. I shouldn't have called you in the first place. This is not your problem. It's mine. I screwed up." He stood there tall and strong and Andy knew he wouldn't change his mind. She was actually kind of proud of him in that moment.

"Okay." She agreed. Ryan walked back up to his room, came down with a small bag with Jenna's things and then they got to her car and Ryan told her which way to go to get to the hospital.

Andy waited for him in the hall downstairs while he had to talk to the doctor and the hospital lawyer. He had a lot of paperwork to fill and several people he needed to talk to so Jenna's mother would get a chance to bury her daughter properly in Seattle. He also contacted the Police Chief and made sure Jenna would get the proper burial for a good cop she was. He handed them her clothes as well.

It seemed that it wouldn't take long but in the end he met Andy at 12:30, worn out and exhausted.

"It's done."

"How are you?" Andy asked him, worried.

"Seriously?" He asked back and she knew better than to ask again. Ryan sat down to a chair and pressed his palms against his eyes. He was tired.

"Come on, you need to eat something. Any ideas where we could grab some lunch?" She tried and after couple of minutes he looked up.

"Yeah, I do." He said and so they left the hospital and walked over to a diner that wasn't that far away.

"We found this place pretty soon. Best burgers and best fries. Seriously I don't know why but they're just incredible." He told her as he opened the door for her.

They had their lunch in silence, Ryan was deep in thought. But he was right, those fries were amazingly good.

"Tell me about Seattle." He asked then as they were nearly done.

"What would you want to know?"

"How are the guys? Did Warren make it to Medic One? Bishop still dating Gibson?" He offered and she smiled.

"Well, Warren stayed at Station 19. They didn't want him at Medic One. They even filed an official complaint against him so he was suspended and the new Chief had to take action." Andy started and proceeded to tell Ryan the whole story. He was very supportive of Warren.

"Jack and Maya are still together. I think they don't even know how serious it is between them but so far so good."

"I never thought these two would end up together."

"Well nobody did. Gibson was our Acting Captain now and even so they made it work so I guess they're pretty solid now." She told him and sipped the rest of her milk shake.

"Acting Captain? What happened with Sullivan?" Ryan asked. Andy realized in that moment that nobody told Ryan about what happened. And now it was up to her.

"He hurt his knee in L.A. back when we fought the wildfire."

"I didn't notice." Tanner said, clearly confused.

"Nobody did. But he ended up having surgery and the recovery was long. He's still not back on duty although from we know he can finally walk again."

Ryan looked at her and tried to read her expression. Andy looked back and there was a huge question mark written all over her face.

"What?" She asked when she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Nothing."

"Come, out with it." She prompted.

"I just thought you two would…"

"We would what?"

"I know you said you weren't together before but it just seemed like you would get there. I know the way he looks at you, Andy." He said softly.

"What way?"

"The same way I used to." He admitted a bit later.

"Well we're not together if that's what you were asking about. Okay? We're not." She answered firmly.

"But you would want to." He said after a moment. Andy shot him a look. "Sorry, I might not live there anymore but I know you. Or I used to." He continued and Andy had no answer for that. Things were certainly different between them.

They paid for the lunch and left the diner. It was almost two o'clock . They got back for the car Andy had rented and drove over to Ryan's hotel. Andy waited for him in the car when he came upstairs to get his already packed things and what's been left of the money from his father. He checked-out and met her afterwards.

"You ready?" She asked him.

"Let's go to the Inn first so you can drop me off at the Station and then leave San Diego for good." He said and although Andy didn't like it, she did as he asked her.

As they were just nearing the Inn's parking lot neither noticed that on the last crossroad one black SUV didn't stop at the red light and instead of speeded up. Neither saw it coming. The force of the impact rolled them over and their car, now on the roof, slid on the road till it hit a street lamp. The black SUV, although crashed, left the scene as people stood there frozen in shock.

Sullivan paid for the taxi and stood on the crossing, waiting for the green light so he could walk over to the Inn. It surprised him that Andy would stay at such place but he had to admit he liked it. He googled it when he was waiting at the airport and it looked cozy and comfortable, certainly better than cheap motels or too sterile hotels.

When he heard the unmistakable sound of car crash, he froze along with other people on the street. It took him split of a second before trying to get to the crash side as fast as possible given his leg. Dropping his bag on the ground he immediately searched for his phone so he could call for help.

Looking inside the car his heart stopped. In the driver's seat, hanging head down was Andy Herrera.

* * *

_A/N I am not sure how much time he would have to spend at the airport so I had to use my imagination._


	14. Rescue

Andy was unfocused. She was awake but totally disoriented. She heard cacophony of loud sounds from one side but from the other there was nothing. She knew she was in shock but her brain refused to kick in and cooperate. Damn she was trained for this so what the hell was wrong with her?

Sullivan made had his phone in hand, already dialing 911.

"This is Captain Sullivan, there's been a car accident on…" And then he realized he had no idea where he was. It totally slipped his mind. He looked at the woman kneeling next to him.

"On the corner of Fifth and Madison." She told him and he relayed the information to the dispatch.

"Yes, I'm a firefighter. One car on the roof, two victims. Female, early thirties, no obvious signs of trauma. Male, same age, I can see laceration on his head and arms." He continued.

In the meantime people coming closer to see and help realized that he knew what he was doing so they just waited close by.

"Yeah, I can check." He said and noticed the woman was still next to him.

"I'm Nancy. What do I do?" She asked him. He handed her the phone, put it on loud speaker.

"Just tell them what I tell you." He said and checked Andy's pulse. Then he noticed her eyes were opened. Unfocused but opened.

"She's awake." He said and the woman said so to the dispatch.

"Andy, hey, it's me." He tried calling her name. She just winced when she tried to move.

"Don't move. Help's on the way." He told her. Then he turned to Nancy. "Tell them I'm going to check on the other one."

He walked over to the other side of the car. There was a young man with an older woman on the ground, holding some scarf over a deep gash on Tanner's forehead, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Nancy, the man is unconscious, deep gash on his head, possible head trauma. He's got cuts from the window."

He looked around. "Does anyone here have a flashlight?" He asked.

"Would the one on my cell phone be enough?" The young man asked. Sully nodded so the man handed him the cell. He tried checking Ryan's pupils.

"Nancy, he has concussion. He'll need a hospital and neurologist. He's stuck. Possible injury to both legs." He said and Nancy repeated that to the dispatch.

Andy was trying to move. He heard her wince and sigh.

"Can you still hold pressure on the wound?" He asked the man trying to stop Tanner's bleeding.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now could you keep your fingers here?" He asked the woman and showed her how to check Tanner's pulse. "If you notice any change, you yell."

"Okay." The woman replied.

"I'll be right back." He told them just when he heard the sirens getting closer. That was some response time indeed.

He walked over to Andy's side and when she finally could focus she saw him there and got even more confused.

"Robert?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"But…"

"I'll explain later. You were in car accident. Car's on the roof. Don't move, help is on the way. Your safety belt holds you, let it."

"Okay." She agreed, not really understanding.

"Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so. The airbag…" She tried to explain.

"Yeah, it did its job."

"My head hurts a bit but other than that I think I'm okay. How's Ryan?" She asked.

"Worse." Sullivan told her. He was very reluctant to move from her side. His heart was hammering in his chest and he felt the adrenalin rush in his veins.

"Go, I'll be okay." She told him, knowing he should be over on the other side and not here.

"I'll stay here." Nancy told him, sensing he needed reassurance.

"Go." Andy repeated and after a moment Sullivan nodded and walked over to Ryan. When he got there the firefighters were already parking their vehicles on the road, two of them jumping from the Aid Car and running to them.

"Captain Sullivan?" The Lieutenant yelled.

"Over here!" Sully called so he ran to him.

"Sir." He greeted him.

"I won't stand in your way." Sullivan said and moved aside as did the rest of the people. His hands were bloody from assessing Tanner's condition. He watched the firefighters cut away the metal, put C-collar on Tanner, treating his wounds, getting him out of the car, securing the car so it wouldn't leak gasoline or other fluids, he watched them cut Andy out from the car and he couldn't move. He was frozen to the spot.

Nancy came to him and wanted to hand him his phone back. He looked at his hands.

"Yeah. Could you put it into that brown bag over there?" He asked her.

"Sure." She said softly and did so.

"Thank you." He said.

"Aren't you going over to her?" She asked. He looked at her as she was crazy.

"She's arguing with the medic." Nancy clarified and to her surprise Sullivan chuckled.

"Yeah, that sounds like her. Thank you, for all your help." Sullivan said and Nancy nodded. Local PD was already on the scene so she walked over to one of the officers to give a statement. She saw the whole crash after all.

Sullivan walked over to Andy. She was sitting in the second Aid Car that arrived. The first one already left with Tanner.

"Sir." Medic greeted him.

"How is she?" Sullivan asked, looking at the medic instead of at Andy.

"I'm fine." Andy replied, stubborn and somewhat angry.

"Can you give us a moment?" He asked the medic.

"Sure." He said and walked away. Sullivan looked at Andy for the first time and for a long moment neither said a thing.

"I'm okay, really." She said then, a bit less agitated.

"But you should get checked in the hospital anyway." He replied.

"I have a lot of questions." She said then.

"I know. And we can talk once they give you clean bill of health." He responded. "You have my word." He promised.

"Do you know something about Ryan?"

"He had a concussion, cuts, lacerations, he wasn't conscious. They took him to hospital."

"I need to talk to the Police." She said after a moment of contemplating what to do.

"No, you don't." He argued.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Andy argued back, angry and tired.

"They took all the things from the car already. I'm sure they'll talk to you soon enough." He said. Andy realized that he knew something.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked him. But before he could answer the medic came back.

"Sir, I need to take her to hospital. We'll go to Sharp Memorial." He said and Sullivan was kind of grateful he didn't have to explain anything right then.

"Sure." He said and Andy knew better than to argue again. So she let the medic to take care of her and when the door closed and she could no longer see Sullivan, she felt like she could break down and cry.

What the hell just happened? The car hit them. She was sure it was about Ryan. But how Sullivan fit into it? Why was he there? How? Since when? She couldn't make heads or tails from it. When she saw him for the first time she thought she was dreaming or hallucinating. How was this possible? But he was there. He was there, saving her. He was there, looking at her in that way that made her heart swell.

He didn't want to leave her side but he knew he should help Tanner so he did. She told him to go. But she wished he didn't have to. She was afraid she would wake up at that point and realize he wasn't there at all.

And Tanner? He seemed to be in a bad shape. Damned. She couldn't lose him. He couldn't die on her. Not like this. Not now.

The next couple of hours were a blur. She was usually the one handing the patient over but now she was the patient. She had to go through all the procedures. She tried asking about Ryan couple of times but they wouldn't tell her anything. Around five she got admitted to a room for overnight observation due to the hit to her head. It was just a precaution. She knew that. But she didn't like it at all.

Sullivan arrived to the hospital as soon as he managed to clean his hands. The local PD wanted to talk to him at the scene so he gave them his statement, his ID, told them he was here visiting a friend and by coincidence saw the crash. He described the car that left the scene, he told them all about the first aid he provided.

When he was about to leave the crash site, the Lieutenant came to see him.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for your help."

"No need to, Lieutenant. Are your people okay?"

"Yes, Sir, we're all fine. Did you know the victims? Sorry I'm asking but one of my crew overheard the name Herrera.

"That's right."

"As in Andrea Herrera?" He asked back in shock.

"Yes, why?" Sullivan wasn't following.

"She's the one receiving the medal after the windstorm you guys had in Seattle, isn't she? Saving her Captain while being injured and all? It was kind of a big thing."

Sullivan had to admit he was surprised they knew about that. But as Andy was one of the youngest to ever received the medal it made sense the word travelled.

"That's her. But don't remind her."

"Why not?"

"Well she saved her Captain but lost her victim."

"Not a happy memory then."

"No, not really." Sullivan admitted, leaving out the fact that he was the Captain she saved.

"Okay. Anyway, I hope they will be both okay. And thank you for your help again."

"No problem." Sullivan said.

The Lieutenant needed to talk to the cop there so Sullivan was finally free to go. And so he found himself in the hospital reception. It was a nice hospital. The lady at the reception didn't seem friendly though. He could tell there'd be troubles.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"I'm here to see a friend. They brought her here couple of hours ago from a crash site. Andrea Herrera."

"You're not family?"

"No, I'm her friend. Robert Sullivan."

"I can't tell you anything about her, Sir."

"I don't need you to tell me anything, I'd like to know where she is or who is her doctor so I could talk to him. Can you call someone?"

"Sir…"

"It's Captain. Captain Robert Sullivan." He tried using his tough Captain voice. The woman regarded him with the 'seriously?' look.

"Please. I just want to know she's okay and if I could talk to her." He tried softer approach.

"All right. You can wait over there." She motioned those totally uncomfortable chairs.

"Thank you." He said sincerely and sat down.

He couldn't tell how much time passed before someone came to get him. It was a young doctor.

"Sir?"

"Yes."

"Are you here for Andrea Herrera?"

"Yes. Are you her doctor? Can you tell me how is she? Can I see her?" Sullivan knew he sounded like an idiot but this day was driving him crazy. Hell of a day. Not how he pictured it happening when he stood by the Station 19 in the morning. Not at all.

"I got a word you wanted to so I asked her. Can you come with me? The Police are just talking to her so you can see her then."

"Is she okay?" He was so worried. So so worried.

The doctor just smiled at him and led him to a different part of the hospital. Soon he stood right in front of the door to Andy's room. The two policemen were just leaving. Andy saw him there and smiled. She nodded then and so he walked inside. He was so nervous.

"Hi." She said softly.

"Are you okay?" He asked, forgetting to greet her or anything.

"Yeah. They're keeping me overnight for observation but I'm fine." She said and noticed the tension leaving his body, his shoulders, she noticed how he exhaled and his breathing slowed down. He was worried about her. It wasn't her imagination. He was worried. He cared.

He stood there by her bed and neither knew what to say.

"I…" Andy started. He just kept on watching her. He really wanted nothing more than to go over and hug her close to his chest so he could be sure she was okay but knew this wasn't the time or the place. Besides he had no right to do such thing.

Andy wanted to tell him to come closer so she could make sure he was really there, walking, breathing, alive and … there with her. But she couldn't now, could she?

"Andy…" He tried.

"Maya told you, didn't she?" She asked. He nodded. "I figured that much."

"She didn't tell me much, just about your messages. She thought you could need help so she asked me to come here."

"And what? Drag me back to Seattle?" She asked amused.

"More or less, yeah. She couldn't leave and I'm still not on active duty so…"

"So you came to San Diego even after I wouldn't even pick up your calls." She said and felt like a real idiot.

"You had every right to be mad. I screwed up."

"But you came anyway."

"I'm an idiot, I know." He admitted and she actually giggled at that.

"No, you're not." She replied and he smiled at her. "Come here, sit down." She asked him and so he did so.

"I don't know how much you know so… " She said and completely avoiding the big elephant in the room, she told him about Tanner, his dad, the money and Jenna.

"He called and asked for help." She admitted.

"So you came to help him."

"Yeah. I did. I shouldn't have but I did. And I talked him into turning himself in to the Police here, to tell them truth about the money and all."

"But they got to you first and tried to kill you both." He concluded and Andy nodded.

"Do you know something about him?" He asked after needing a minute to calm down. The mere idea of losing her was scaring him. He wasn't sure he would survive such event again. Sure, Andy was not his wife and all but he… well he cared. And surely didn't want her to be hurt or dead.

"The Police said he was pretty banged up but that it wasn't really serious. He already gave him his statement and told them I had no idea about the money. They just wanted to confirm it from me."

"Did you?"

"I didn't want to but… it was his choice. I respected that." She admitted and lied back. She was so exhausted. He watched her and understood he should let her rest.

"I should go." He said and got up.

"Do you have to?" She asked.

"Andy…" He said her name but had no idea how to continue.

"You're probably going back to Seattle, right. Sorry." She said.

"Actually, I'm not." He admitted and stopped by her side of the bed, just inches from her.

"You're not? Why?"

"I came here to bring you home so I'm not leaving without you. Bishop would give me hell." He said with a smile. She smiled at that too. Yeah, he was right, Maya probably would.

"What were you planning to do?" She asked, looking back at him, curious.

"I don't know. I figured you would probably tell me to go to hell. And if not… well I didn't know if you needed to give back the rental car in Seattle or not. So I didn't know if we'd be flying back or driving back or if you were even coming back at all so I..." He was so nervous he wasn't making much sense but Andy understood.

He just really wanted to bring her home. Maya told him to bring her home and he just came, putting everything on the line so he could make sure she was safe.

For some reason she didn't understand she tried to reach over. He was so close she could touch his hand. It surprised him so he jerked away at that touch on pure instinct. She didn't try again.

"We can fly." She said instead. He nodded.

" So I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said and with a nod he left the room.

And when she was finally alone, Andy allowed herself to feel all the feelings she kept locked during the day. And so she cried in that hospital bed because everything was a mess.


	15. Restless evening

_Little interlude for you guys... short chapter for this evening. More to come soon. I promise._

* * *

Sullivan didn't actually know where to go but as he kind of liked the Inn where Herrera was staying, he decided to give it a try. He called to ask if they had a room and they did. So he booked it and went over there. It was not like had any other plans. Hell this morning he didn't even know he'd be sleeping in San Diego at all.

The Inn was nice. The room was comfortable. Taking a long shower and ordering some food delivery he collapsed on the huge bed. He was so damn exhausted but he doubted he would get much sleep. His head was so full of thoughts and images.

He booked an early afternoon flight back to Seattle for both him and Andy. Not that he was happy about it but it was the smart choice. Plus he wasn't sure if he and Andy would ever get to talk about what happened between them so… yeah. The sooner he was back in Seattle the better. And once back at work he would just follow her lead. If she wanted to forget everything…

When he was done with his pizza and salad he got a message. It was from Bishop asking him about the situation. Damn. He had completely forgotten about her. Instead of answering he forwarded the message to Andy. Hopefully she would call her friend and tell her what she needed to. He had no idea what he would tell her. Hell anything he could think of was stupid or horrible.

He recalled the events of the day and was surprised his leg didn't give up on him all that time. It was so stressful. But he was okay physically. Which was good. Now he had no doubts about passing his psych evaluation. He was ready to go back on duty.

Eventually exhaustion kicked in and he fell asleep. It was uneasy sleep even though the bed was really good. He missed message from Andy completely.

* * *

Andy was surprised when her phone beeped but it was message from Sullivan. She felt like a teenager when she opened it but then realized it was from Maya. She was checking up on him and on their status. And he probably had no idea about what to tell her so he forwarded it to her. Smart move. Except for the fact that she had no idea too.

She dialed Maya's number and waited her to pick up.

"_Andy?"_

"Maya, hi."

"_Oh my God, are you okay? Is everything okay?"_

"Yes. It is."

"_I don't believe you. What's wrong?" Maya wanted to know._

"Look, I promise to tell you everything once I'm back home, okay?" Andy tried to get off the hook. She wasn't ready to tell her – hell she didn't even know what to say! She didn't understand the situation and it was all so… complicated.

"_Andy… I…"Maya wanted to say something as Andy was silent for a moment. She didn't get past her name though._

"You sent Sullivan here?" Andy asked with a smile when she realized what was Maya trying to say.

"_You're mad."_

"No, I'm not." And she truly wasn't.

"_Do you know when you'll be home?"_

"I'll let you know, okay?"

"_Okay. So you're safe, right?"_

"I'm safe. Take care, Maya."

"_Good night."_

Andy put down the phone and tried to rest. It was very difficult. Trying to put together the pieces of this puzzle she wasn't sure about what was exactly happening.

But she would have to figure it out. Tomorrow. Before they got back home. She wanted to go back to work and be focused and sharp. She couldn't afford any mistakes. She wouldn't want to. And if Sullivan was fit enough to go over here he was fit enough to take his evaluation soon. So she would be facing him on daily basis again.

So they had to talk. Damn. Or they could try to ignore everything. Damn again, that wouldn't work. She just really didn't know what to do.

Before she went to bed she sent him a text. He didn't reply but she hoped it was just because he was already asleep and not because he didn't want to.

* * *

Maya back in Seattle was alone at home. She was going nuts when she didn't hear from Sullivan whole day and neither from Andy. She had a bad feeling but couldn't do anything but wait. She texted Sullivan but Andy called. That was hardly a coincidence.

She hated it that Jack didn't know the truth about Andy and her hiking and she hated it that she couldn't talk about this to anyone. She could use a new perspective. But she guessed she would have to wait for Andy to come back home and tell her everything. And she would make sure she would tell her indeed. No backing away, no secrets.

She had to admit she was also really curious about her and Sullivan. Maybe they will finally talk. Or not. They're both so stubborn it was possible they would both keep the silent treatment towards each other and … oh damn things will be so awkward at the Station once they're both back!

Not to mention the fact that Gibson had no idea they were both in San Diego. No one did. She was good with secrets but this was too much even on her.

Well she could always hope both Andy and Sullivan would give in, skip the talking and apologizing and just have sex. That could resolve the tension and maybe help them realize what they actually wanted. Or not. But she would bet on them having sex anyway.

After what Andy told her about him and their little make-out session after coming back from L.A. Maya still had a very vivid image of half-naked fully aroused Sullivan in Captain's bunk. Sure, she never saw him half-naked and she would hopefully never see him like that, he was her Captain and she needed some distance but damn. Damn!

She was surprised not by the fact that those two couldn't keep their hands off of each other but by the fact that whatever it was between them was far more than just unresolved sexual tension. But it obviously was. On the other hand she could see the change in both of them and it was not for the worse, quite the opposite actually.

Maybe that was why she knew Sullivan would go to San Diego. He cared. He just cared.

She knew that especially after Vic and Ripley there was only a slim chance of Andy and Sullivan keeping a secret relationship. So maybe, just maybe, they would hit the sheets in San Diego, clear the air and then things would be either okay back home or totally bad and that would resolve in either secret relationship or in breakup or maybe in transfer. Damn there was no good option, was there?

But remembering how devastated Andy had been back that day after visiting him in hospital, Maya knew that those two had to talk. And whatever should happen then, she would stand there by her friend and have her back.


	16. Going home

When the morning came Sullivan noticed the missed message from Andy. She was just telling him good night and that she had talked to Maya. And what totally got him was the end where she asked if he would pick her up tomorrow once she got released from the hospital.

And he didn't answer. Well hopefully it wasn't too early to respond now.

"Just text me when and I'll be there. R." He hit the send button and only then realized that he wasn't sure if should have signed it with R. Was he "R" for her? Damned he needed to sort this out, he felt like a teenager.

Going downstairs for breakfast he stood still at the door, not knowing if he was dreaming or not. The smell of fresh coffee hit him and his nostrils and he could fell his mouth water just from the idea of tasting it. Looking around he saw all kinds of food. People sitting at the tables were having everything from eggs and bacon through milk and muesli to pies and waffles. Damn he was hungry.

"Good morning, have you slept well?" The sweet old lady he met yesterday when he was checking in asked him.

"Yes, thank you."

"Are you okay?"

"What? Yes, I'm sorry it's just, wow. I think I'm hungry." He smiled at her.

"Go and eat young man." She told him and he could only nod. He sat down to one of the tables, there were two cups on each table, along with some napkins and silverware, there was a pot of coffee, there was milk and sugar and also some fresh juice. It was heaven.

He enjoyed the first cup of coffee and knew that this place was absolutely delightful. Going over to the tables with food he couldn't decide what to have first. So he started with eggs and bacon, some toast and cherries. He was full afterwards or so he thought before he caught the smell of the pancakes. Those were not American ones but those French like thin huge ones. He had one with cinnamon and honey and the other with some home-made jam and dark chocolate. Damn that was so so so good.

He was glad he wasn't staying here for longer because he would totally gain a lot of weight then. Who could resist this?

Just when he was finishing another glass of juice his phone beeped.

"I should have all the papers ready by 10. A." He read the message and had to smile. So she signed as A. So maybe they were on R and A basis now. Or at least their messages were. Face to face it would be totally different, so much he knew.

He had some time to spare so he decided to go shopping. From what he could tell Herrera didn't have any spare clothes in the hospital and he didn't want her to have to leave in those dirty destroyed ones from yesterday. So he went shopping. He wouldn't risk going for underwear but he could at least buy her some jogging pants. The problem was that he felt like an idiot in the woman's part of the shop so in the end, embarrassed like when he was 12 and his mother caught him looking at La Perla catalogue, he just left that department and picked the smallest he could find in men's. Well she would have to survive in those only for their trip back here to the Inn so she could change here. He would gladly gave her his clothes but as he didn't really pack for longer stay he was glad to have something to wear at all.

Going to the hospital, he felt both nervous and happy. He couldn't really wait to leave San Diego.

Andy spent her morning in hospital bed. She got checked out by three different doctors, the cops came to talk to her again, let her sign the statement she gave yesterday, they also brought in some paperwork regarding her crashed rented car.

Her breakfast was … well hospital food. Not like at the Inn. She missed that breakfast today. Dearly.

When her doctor told her they would let her go, she texted it to Sullivan. She had to admit that she was surprised by his morning message. R. He signed as R. That meant it was personal. They were not colleagues now. It was personal. He was R.

So she texted him to pick her up and signed as A. So why the hell not? They would have to talk eventually. Or not.

When he came to her room he knocked and smiled instantly. She had to admit that he always made her smile too. There was something so warm about him.

"Good morning."

"Morning. How are you?"

"Ready to leave." She answered and he chuckled. Boy could he understand that.

"I brought you these. Hope they'll do for the time being." He said and gave her the bag he brought.

"Thank you." She was really touched by the gesture. Taking the clothes to the bathroom she changed into them. She had to wear her yesterday's underwear but honestly she couldn't wait to take a nice long shower in her room at the Inn. So she didn't really mind.

She could hear Sullivan pace around her room, anxious and waiting. Well she couldn't blame him, she was taking her time in the bathroom, not really ready to face him. But then she did. She couldn't avoid it forever.

"You okay?"

"Yes, I'm sorry it took me so long."

"No worries. Your doctor wasn't here yet." He told her. And they stayed silent after that. Both clearly wanting to talk but neither having the words.

In ten minutes Andy's doctor came, gave her the paperwork and wished her a good day. Sullivan took her things in the bag he brought here and wanted to leave but she was reluctant.

"Andy?"

"I just can't stop thinking about Ryan."

"Did the cops tell you anything?"

"I asked but he told them not to. He doesn't want me to know." She said, half sad and half angry. Sullivan had to admit that this situation was quite a difficult one.

"Then let him."

"What?"

"Look, he doesn't want to put you in any more danger. He doesn't want you involved because you're his friend."

"That's just stupid." Andy argued back.

"Maybe. But he needs to do it like this. So let him. And he'll reach out once he's ready." He tried telling her and to his surprise she actually listened to him. She wasn't happy about it but she listened to him.

He could tell the moment she realized that she just wouldn't get to see him again. Taking a deep breath she looked him in the eye and said let's go.

And so putting his hand on the small of her back, acting on pure instinct, he guided her out of the corridor to the stairs and out of the building. She didn't comment on it and as she didn't try to break his wrist she probably didn't mind.

Truth to be told, Andy barely noticed. She was too overwhelmed.

They stopped by the entrance and almost immediately one of the local taxi drivers was by their side. So they got in, Sully gave him the address and let Andy be silent and lost in her own space for the moment. They arrived to the Inn and Andy just stood there on the parking lot.

"Look, why don't you go up to your room, take a shower, change into your clothes… hm? We have time till we have to get to the Airport." He suggested. Andy looked up at him and the way he was looking at her made her heart melt.

"Okay." She said after a minute, putting her palm over his heart for a moment before taking her hand off again.

"We'll meet down here?"

"Sure." He agreed and missed the touch immediately.

Andy walked into the Inn, talked to the receptionist and then got to her room. Sitting down on the bed she undressed and took a long hot shower. That was something she needed like hell. It was heaven indeed. At first she thought she would just dump the clothes Sullivan gave her but found out she couldn't do that. The gesture was so sweet from him that she just couldn't. So she packed them along with the rest of her stuff, got dressed, dried her hair and with one last look she left the room.

Sullivan was already waiting for her. The moment she saw him there something in her made her take a deep breath. He was there, strong and solid, waiting and not moving, just because he cared, just because he wanted to bring her home.

He didn't see her at first so she stopped when she was standing just in front of him.

"Hey…" She started. He looked up surprised.

"Hey." He said back.

"Look, I know we have to talk."

"Andy…"

"No, please, let me."

"Okay." He said softly and remained in the arm-chair as she was too close, he couldn't really stand up as he would find himself nose to nose with her. And that was dangerous.

"I want to talk. And listen. I just can't do it now."

"That's okay, we don't have to."

"Bring me home." She asked softly.

"I can do that."

"And we'll talk later. I promise." She promised and took a step back.

Sullivan watched her and was in deep conflict about what to do. So he stood up and enjoyed the small short moment of such close proximity.

Getting a taxi again they got to the airport. Picking up the tickets, going through the check-point and through the gate, they made it in silence. But this time it was not the thick heavy and deafening silence, this was the good comfortable and kind one. They were good.

On the plane Andy realized she was actually tired. And Sullivan was as well. They had both hard nights. It was early in the afternoon but still, they were tired. Before Sullivan could for example get them a drink or something, Andy used his shoulder as her pillow and fell asleep. They still had two hours to go so why not.

Sullivan adjusted his arm so he could put it around her shoulders and she nestled her face into his chest. She seemed comfortable so he let her be. Besides he was no idiot. He could very well be feeling this and like this for the last time. He had no idea how their talk would go. If it would actually even happen.

He asked the stewardess for a blanket so he could cover Andy. She smiled at him with that all-knowing smile and got him a nice blanket. She even helped him to cover Andy so she wouldn't get cold on the plane. Making himself comfortable he closed his eyes and just rested. Knowing she was there with him, safe and sound, asleep, trusting him even despite their unresolved issues, he was content and grateful. He could have lost her yesterday for good and that experience shook him to his core. Irony of fate, huh?

* * *

_Sorry it's a bit shorter than usually, folks. I'm super busy right now but I wanted to give you at least something. Few more to go... Two or three I think._


	17. Under the roof

"Sir? I'm sorry to disturb you but we'll be landing soon. You might want to wake her up." The stewardess came to Sullivan and told him this gently.

"Thank you." He answered and debated with himself on how to approach this. Well screw it, he thought and gently stroked Andy's shoulder with the hand he had around her.

"Andy…" He said softly. She stirred but stayed asleep. She had to be exhausted.

"Hey, Andy, wake up." He repeated and this time she opened her eyes. It took her a moment to realize where she was. It was strange for her to fall asleep like this on a plane. She looked up at him and felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder. She didn't mind it one bit actually.

"Hey."

"We'll be landing soon."

"Okay." She answered and felt a bit awkward. "I'm sorry for falling asleep on you."

"That's okay, really. I don't mind." He said sincerely. They were both at loss for words then. He took his hand away and Andy sat up straight so there was space between them again.

Soon they went through all the necessary chores before landing. And they landed safely. The whole time they were silent, both kind of nervous.

Andy felt embarrassed about the whole sleep thing but truth to be told, she felt rested like she hasn't in a really long time. Being back in Seattle troubled her though. She left Ryan behind. Well it was his choice, she knew, but still. She left him there and had no idea about what was going on with him.

And she was here with Sullivan who just put his hand on the small of her back as he walked behind her out of the plane. It surprised her as he wasn't the one to show affection this openly but it seemed that the past weeks, well maybe months, did change him. And she had to admit she actually enjoyed it.

Sullivan didn't realize he touched her till it was too late. He was acting on instinct, he didn't think about it. And once his hand was there he couldn't take it back. And as Andy didn't protest he just kept it there. He knew that they needed to talk but damn he felt like a teenager before his first date. What the hell was wrong with him?

They were at the arrivals terminal and Andy turned to look at him.

"I have to wait for my bag." She told him.

"Sure."

"If you want to head home…" She gave him a way out.

"Is Bishop picking you up?" He asked back. It took her off guard.

"Eh, no, she's not." Andy said and Sullivan gave her a curious look.

"She doesn't know I'm back."

"You didn't talk to her?"

"I did. I just didn't tell her I was coming back today."

"Oh." He didn't really understand. He had a few ideas about her reasons but didn't want to take a wild guess, not on this.

"I thought…" She stammered.

"Yes?" He asked, half amused and half nervous.

"I thought we could maybe talk. If you still want to."

"I do." He answered, not missing a beat.

"Good." She replied.

"I need to make few calls so why don't you wait for your bag and meet me by the parking lot? We can grab a taxi." He offered and she nodded.

"That sounds good."

"Okay." He said and with a smile he left. He had couple of missed calls and he needed to take care of them. He was sure that at least one would be interesting. He dialed up the number and waited. He was surprised to feel butterflies in his stomach. Why would he…?

_"Robert, how nice of you to call back."_ Ray answered his phone.

"I'm sorry I had to cancel."

_"You had something more important than getting your leg back in shape?"_ Ray asked but was half amused. They both knew he was giving him a hard time.

"Actually not something. Someone."

_"Oh. That someone?"_ Ray asked, now curious.

"Yes."

"_You'll have to give me something here, man."_ Ray tried.

"I…" Sullivan started but realized he didn't really know what to say.

_"That good or that bad?"_ Ray asked instead.

"I don't know yet." Sullivan answered honestly and Ray felt sympathy for him.

"_So good luck then."_

"Thank you, Ray."

_"See you at your next appointment."_

"Sure. Bye." Sully ended the call with a smile. Well he knew that Ray would try to pry some information from him as he was already curious.

Sullivan called back the Chief as he had missed call from him as well and then waited for Andy to come. She didn't take long. He wanted to offer to take her bag but knew that she wouldn't let him. So he stayed silent. For this time.

"So where do you want to go?" Sully asked her.

"I don't want to face Maya just yet." Andy asked instead. "And I'm hungry."

"Do you have a favorite place?" He asked, thinking they could grab some dinner together although he would prefer to go home. But this was more important.

"Can we order in?"

"In as…" He wasn't sure he understood.

"Well if you don't have a room-mate you forgot to mention I thought we could go to your place. To talk." She clarified when she realized how it sounded. Damn.

"Unless you don't think it's a good idea." She added as she was still waiting for a reply.

"No, I like that idea." He said finally with something warm pooling around his heart. She meant it. She wanted to talk. She really really wanted to talk. As she was still looking at him she could see the battle behind his eyes.

"Hey… I really do want to talk. And listen." She said as she put her hand on his arm. He noticed the movement and was taken aback but had to admit that nothing about this felt wrong.

"Me too." He answered and before he could say more a taxi pulled over so they got in and Sullivan gave the driver his address.

They were silent on the ride, just sitting next to each other, both contemplating what to say. The drive wasn't long – or to them it seemed so as they were both lost in their own little worlds. When they arrived Sullivan paid for the cab, sending Andy very clear look that she was not doing it. She got the message and had to admit that she liked this chivalry side of him.

He was a gentleman when he wanted to be and it was rare to see but she enjoyed it very much. So she just smiled and let him be the kind of a man he actually was when he didn't have to be tough firefighter. She didn't really know that apartment building but it was one of those older brick ones. She liked it.

"Come on in." He told her as he unlocked the entrance. There was an elevator there and this time she was glad as she was kind of tired despite the nice nap she took on the plane. Sullivan picked up his mail from the mailbox in the hall, pushed the elevator button and then took them both up to his apartment. It was on the top floor.

Andy gave him a curious look. "Really?"

"What?"

"You're a firefighter and you live under the roof?" She asked as she knew the risks.

"Wait and see." He said as he opened the door and moved aside to let her in first.

She walked past him into the hall and had to admit that she could totally understand now. The apartment wasn't big but it felt so open and light with the light coming from the roof windows. There were exposed beams up at the ceiling, one wall was raw bricks, there was a fireplace and a chimney in the center of the living room. The kitchen was joined with the living room, dark with metal handles and hood over the stove. There was a breakfast bar there separating the kitchen and the living room. It looked like it was made from bricks.

It was so masculine and so industrial and raw and just beautiful. She absolutely loved it. Sullivan stood by the entrance and was watching her as she took in the place and looked around. She was smiling and it warmed him inside. She obviously liked it there.

"So?"

"It's amazing. Absolutely amazing." She told him and saw the spark in his eyes.

"Come in." He said and took her further into the apartment.

She noticed the old gramophone with LPs on a shelf made from some black metal and wood. The wall behind it was dark brown and it looked just awesome. The apartment was raw and yet so warm and welcoming.

And followed him as he showed her to the bathroom.

"If you want to take a shower after the flight."

"Yeah, that actually sounds good." She admitted. So he opened a cabinet and gave her a clean towel.

"Thank you."

"Do you need anything?" He asked.

"No, I just need to dig in my bag to try to find a clean t-shirt." She joked. She felt weird from the flight as usually and knew that taking a shower and getting back into these clothes would be like fighting a wind-mill. She could never win.

Sully nodded and watched Andy go to her bag by the door and as he didn't want to stare at her digging in her stuff, he turned around and opened the door across the bathroom. He didn't close it behind him and as Andy was coming back to the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of his bedroom and as her heart sped up and she felt all sorts of funny things inside her, she had to look away. Damned.

Closing the door behind her she guessed that this wasn't such a good idea. But well, to hell with it. She wasn't about to run away from this. She was not!

Looking around she couldn't help herself. She was so lost. Even his bathroom looked just like him. All tidy and neat and masculine and yet so warm and comfortable. The shower was made from beautiful oriental tiles in dark brown and beige, the sink was not part of some plain cabinet but stood on metal legs with cases instead of drawers. She loved that place. It felt kind of weird to get undressed there but she wad adult for cryin' out loud. She could take a shower!

Little she knew that Sullivan was in no better state. There was Andy. At his home. In his bathroom. Taking a shower. That image made him growl and he knew he had to do something to distract him. So he changed into some more comfortable clothes and as they were planning on eating some dinner, he decided to surprise Andy.

So what, she had to find out one day that he could actually cook.

Looking through his cupboards and fridge he tried to recall what she usually ate. Well now it would be helpful if he had shared more meals with her, huh…? From the few they actually shared he knew she loved Italian. And with that he could work. So taking out ingredients for pasta with some sauce and for a salad, he began to cook. In a minute he realized that it was just too quite so he went over to his gramophone and played one of his LPs. So what, he preferred them to radio. He just hoped Andy wouldn't mind. Well he would find out anyway.

As he was cooking, preparing the dinner, he totally missed Andy as she came out of the bathroom. Her hair wet, she was in plain t-shirt and jeans, barefoot as the floor was warm in the apartment. She wanted to say something at first but then she noticed him, with the dishtowel over his shoulder, chopping some tomatoes, stirring something in the saucepan… She was in awe.

There was a little part of her that put aside everything and just enjoyed the view. He changed into different clothes and looked so comfortable. With the music playing in the background she could actually stand there and watch him for what felt like hours. Damned. Maya was right. She had a thing for him. She had more than that.

Something gave her away as he turned into her direction. Seeing her there he smiled.

"Hey, everything okay?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Good." He replied and turned his attention back to the vegetables he was chopping.

"What?" He asked as she just stood there.

"Nothing. It's just a part of you I'm not used to seeing, that's all." She admitted after a moment of hesitation. But she knew she came here to talk to him about what had been going on between them and so she could be honest in this too.

"Is it a bad thing?" He asked then.

"No. I actually like it." She admitted and when he gave her that one and only sheepish smile he had, she felt her skin getting hot. She was too old to be blushing!

"Need any help?"

"Set the table?"

"Sure." She agreed, still smiling. He moved aside to let her take the cutlery and showed her where he kept the napkins and placemats. She then asked for glasses for water and he also told her to grab those for wine if she wanted to.

"Red or white?" She asked back.

"What do you prefer?"

Andy looked at what he was cooking and decided red would fit it better. So she took glasses for red wine and wanted it to put in on a table but then she just shrugged and set it to the breakfast bar. It was just the two of them so why not. If he was surprised by her choice he didn't let her know and he didn't say anything. Andy sat at the breakfast bar stool and watched him.

"I like this place." She said after some silent moments.

"There's something about it…" She continued. "How did you find it?" She asked.

"When Luke called and told me about the opening at 19, I still wasn't sure I wanted to go back to Seattle. But then your father called as well and I decided to take it."

"My dad?"

"Yeah, those two came with the idea that 19 could use someone like me. But I suspect that Luke had other motives as well."

"He missed you." Andy said after a moment of hesitation. There was a sad shadow on Sullivan's face.

"Yeah. And I realized only too late that I missed him too." He admitted and Andy didn't say anything. There was no need.

"I knew I didn't want to come back to the neighborhood I used to live in."

"Where did you live?"

"The other side of town. Small apartment, modern building."

"Really?"

"Yeah, one of my friends back then was renting the place out and Claire liked it there as it was close to her office so we lived there."

Sullivan felt a bit weird talking to Andy about his wife but she didn't seem to mind so he continued.

"She got this old little house with a garden from her grandparents. They moved to Alaska, making their dream come true so we were about to do a reconstruction and move there."

"That sounds lovely." Andy said with sympathy.

"I don't even know what happened with that house." He admitted. And then he continued. "So I just didn't want to go there. And this area is close to 19 and I just searched the opening and saw couple of apartments but this one got me somehow." He said as he started to put the food on the plates.

It was getting late so he turned on a lamp and to Andy's surprise there was still enough light coming through the windows. Well, busy city.

Sullivan excused himself and walked over to the corner of the living room. Andy didn't notice at first be had a little fridge there. Well – wine fridge. He looked through the bottles and came back with the perfect red wine she was sure. This man was full of surprises.

Opening the bottle, letting the wine breathe, they started to eat in comfortable silence. Andy was in heaven as the food was delicious. She looked at him when she was almost finished and he caught her smiling.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." She said but both knew it wasn't true.

Pouring them both a glass they enjoyed the first sips of the warm liquid and although they knew they really had to talk, they were comfortable just like that. The music stopped so Sully got up to change the LP for something else.

Andy took the glass of wine and followed him. He stepped aside to let her take a look and she picked one with a sad smile.

"My mom used to love this. She would listen to it every Sunday when I was really small." She told him and he felt little less like an idiot when she was also sharing something personal and it was not just him.

"Do you want to listen to it?" He asked.

"No, you choose." She told him and let him pick the music for the evening. Looking around she noticed couple of photographs.

"May I?" She asked and motioned to them. He nodded. So she walked over and looked there. Her eyes got stuck with the photo of very young Sullivan in a tux with a beautiful woman in his arms, in wedding dress.

"That's Claire." He said, stopping behind her.

"She's beautiful." Andy told him and he had no answer for that. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" She started to apologize but he cut her off.

"It's okay." He said. "As long as it doesn't make you uncomfortable." He added as he feared that it indeed was.

"No. Of course not. She's part of your life, part of you." She told him and he knew she could understand only too well that it was the simple truth. So he just nodded and watched her walk around the living room, taking in the details.

"Andy…" He started nervously after a moment and she knew that the time has come.

* * *

_A/N: Two more to go. And I am sorry for the delays but I've been really busy. And yes, another story where he cooks for her but i just LOVE that idea, sorry folks!_


	18. One night

„Yes?" She asked although she knew what he wanted. He looked at her and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing he thought.

"I'm sorry." He said as it was the first thing on his mind, the most important.

"About what?" She asked as she didn't know what he was referring to.

"I should have made a list, huh?" He replied with a chuckle. Andy had to admit that the moment was actually funny. Taking a few steps to the couch, she sat down, folded her legs beneath her and with the wine still in her hand she just watched him.

He came closer to her but didn't sit down. He just put his glass down.

"I'm sorry about everything. I know I messed up." He said sincerely. Andy wanted to stop him be knew this was what he – what they needed. So she just waited.

"I shouldn't have told you to go. I was surprised that we actually got to that point and then my leg gave out and it just threw me but I shouldn't have sent you away."

"No, you shouldn't have." She replied, still rather successful and keeping her emotions at bay.

"I panicked, Andy. You were there and my leg suddenly went numb and I didn't want to disappoint you. I didn't…" He tried to explain but Andy jumped in.

"You didn't think at all." She said instead, looking intense at him. "You should have told me. I would have helped you."

"Yeah, I know. But you're right. I didn't really think back then. I screwed up and I am sorry." He said and she couldn't reply, she didn't know what to say, how much to reveal. So they stayed silent for a minute or two.

"I could understand that you weren't yourself and that you told me to go. It hurt and I felt horrible but I could maybe understand." She told him and noticed how immediately his posture changed. But she was not done with him.

"But what I don't understand is why you told me to go when I came to see you at the hospital. You kicked me out like a trash. I was less than the asset I used to be to you." She said that and he heard the pain in her voice.

"Andy…" He wanted to say something but didn't get a chance. "No." She stopped him. "I came there every day, worried sick about you and when you finally woke up you were a jerk and it really hurt." She added and he knew she was right.

"I didn't want you around because I was just …"

"Just what?"

"Damned Andy I was scared!" He admitted and she didn't see it coming. "I didn't know if I would ever be fit for duty or even walk. I was scared and I knew that whatever lied ahead would be tough and I'd be grumpy and pissed at the world. I didn't want you around that." He told her fiercely.

"Why? You think I wouldn't handle it? Or that I wouldn't want to? Why?" She needed to know.

He looked her in the eye and without thinking about it he moved closer and sat down on his knees in front of her so they were at the same eye level. She got scared now.

"Because, Andy, I'm not used to having anyone to care about me. It's been years and I am so used to being alone and dealing with everything alone that I couldn't stand the idea of anyone, let alone you, watching me going through that hell."

Andy was silent, just searching his face and eyes for some hidden answers. All the things he said made sense and yet she didn't like it one bit.

"So you rather faced it all alone when you could have friends by your side helping you through?" She asked then and hated how emotional her voice sounded.

"I don't understand." She added and only when he took her hands in his she looked at him again.

"I was an idiot and I am sorry for hurting you and making you feel miserable."

"Would you do that again?" She asked as there was a part of her that could understand his motives – even though she definitely didn't like them.

"No." He answered.

"Really?"

"God, Andy…" He said, exhausted, defeated and unsure about where this was heading. Andy also felt like they hit dead end but there was something about him, something raw and pure, that she knew this experience changed them.

"Can you forgive me?" He asked then. Andy felt tears in the corners of her eyes but knew that part of the pain she carried around for all that time was gone. She cared for him and knowing he would go this far to make it right between then gave her hope.

"And you?" She asked back after some time.

"What?"

"Can you forgive me? I didn't give you a chance to explain sooner. I was rude to you."

"You were hurting. I caused it so you had every right to be pissed." He said with a sad smile and she chuckled.

"I was. But despite all that you came to San Diego." She said.

"Yeah well Bishop didn't really give me a choice." He admitted, standing up and moving to sit down on the couch next to Andy.

"I wanted to visit the Station, tell everyone about my condition and come out clean about what happened."

"Wow, that's something."

"What?"

"It just sounds we're not just assets anymore." She teased him. He looked at her and smiled. "So what happened?" She asked.

"She came to me and told me she feared you were in troubles. She let me listen to your voicemails." He admitted. The part about not wanting to face him still bothered him a bit. "And she …"

"She what?" Andy prompted when he stopped talking.

"She made me admit that I…" He didn't know how to continue.

"She made me admit that I care about you. A lot." He said finally and didn't even dare to look at her direction.

Andy's heart was probably gonna burst. Leave it to Maya. She regarded Sullivan for a moment before moving closer, without saying a word taking his face into her palms and once she could, she kissed him. There were no words needed at that moment. He cared about her. And he apologized. And he was here and she was here and there was nothing to stop her from kissing him as she missed him like crazy.

It took Sullivan few seconds to realize what was happening but one he did he participated willingly, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her closer. Cupping her cheek he changed the angle a bit and as she didn't protest, he didn't stop.

It was nothing like their first kiss, this was not about the passion and tension, this was more about the understanding and something else, something they were not ready to label.

When it ended, she rested against him, putting her head on that perfect spot on his chest where she had it on the plane. It was her favorite spot. They were silent for couple of minutes, each lost in thoughts and emotions.

"I care about you too." She said finally and looked up to find him watching her.

"I was so scared when they told us about your surgery and that you didn't wake up. I thought I would lose you before we could talk about what happened and…" She didn't actually know what to add. He kept on caressing her arm, enjoying the touch and how she felt in his arms.

"And I messed it all up then."

"You did. And it broke me. I came home and cried for so long… That's when I told Maya about this."

"She didn't try to get anything from you before?" He asked, surprised.

"No, I asked her not to so she didn't." Andy told him.

"As I said before, what you two have is unique." He replied and Andy could only smile at that.

"Did my doc tell you that I woke up just after you left?" He asked and Andy was surprised by that fact.

"No, I didn't know."

"Maybe it was a coincidence but maybe there's something about the whole talking to patients in coma thing." He said.

"Maybe…" Andy replied.

"I asked for you the moment I woke up." He admitted after a moment of silence.

"What?" Andy moved back a bit so she could look him in the eye properly.

"I don't remember but my doctor told me that the first time I woke up, I asked for you. I fell asleep again in a minute and was out of it for some more time before fully regaining consciousness."

"Robert…" Andy said and noticed how his eyes changed to such dark shade that it sent shivers down her spine.

"I was in a bad shape, I just couldn't have you there to watch it." He tried to explain again. "But then a friend told me I was being an idiot."

"A friend?" She asked, curious.

"Yes, a friend. I do have those now." He replied and she smiled proudly. "So he told me to call you."

"But I didn't pick up."

"He said to repeat again and again till you do."

"And I gave you piece of my mind when I finally did."

"You had every right to. But I didn't want to give up." He said.

"I'm glad you didn't." She admitted and collided back with his chest. He held her and felt so much better than he had in weeks.

"Andy?"

"Yes?" She asked back.

"I missed you." He said and she smiled with teary eyes.

"I missed you too." She replied and not missing a beat she moved so she could kiss him again. And this time she didn't hold back.

Soon she was straddling him, he had his hands under her t-shirt and they were still kissing, moaning and just enjoying each other. They were smiling and it felt so good.

"We should stop, Andy." He said suddenly.

"Why?" She asked back while she nibbled at the skin on the side of his neck. He was losing self-control but she didn't mind.

"Because if we keep this up I won't be able to stop then." He admitted. Andy stopped kissing him and looked at his face.

"I'm not going anywhere this time." She said and let him think about it for a moment. "Unless of course you ask me to leave."

"I should. I'm your Captain." He replied.

"You're a lot more." She said and when he searched her face he didn't find any doubts there. She wanted this, wanted him and damned but he wanted her too.

Caressing her face, putting her hair out of her face, he kissed her again, gently.

"Come with me." He said and waited for her to climb down from him. Standing up from the couch he offered her his hand which she took and got up as well. There was no rush this time, no adrenalin and everything was different and yet even better than the heat of the moment they shared before.

As he let her into his bedroom he was at loss of breath. She was nervous like a teenager for no obvious reasons. Stepping into the room she looked around and immediately liked it as the rest of the apartment. This man had a good taste.

He was in no rush so he just walked them to his bed, sat down on the edge and waited for her reaction. She came to him, stood in between his legs and he let him wrap his arms around her. She gently touched his scalp and just watched him.

She had it bad for him.

"Are you sure?" He asked her and she was touched by the gesture.

"Are you?" She asked back and he chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing." He said and although she knew he just lied to her she let him be. He would hopefully tell her on his own at some point.

Andy was nervous when she reached for the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it slowly over her head. He was speechless. Andy tossed it aside and stood there in front of him in her jeans and bra. She let him look at her.

"You're beautiful." He said and started to kiss her again. Andy moaned and soon they were exploring each other in a completely new way. They got lost and they found each other, they were smiling and laughing and they enjoyed every single moment of it. Maybe it lacked the passion they shared before in the beginning but slowly it built up.

When they curled under the blanket together afterwards, Andy found the perfect spot again and made herself comfortable. There was no need to get up just yet and honestly she didn't want to. At all. He was pressing her to him, feeling sleepy and happy. She nuzzled her face into his skin and he smiled in reaction.

"I love this spot."

"So I've noticed."

"I could fall asleep right now."

"So sleep…" He told her in shushed voice and to his surprise Andy closed her eyes and really fell asleep. Sinking deeper into the bed, making sure she wasn't cold, he afforded to luxury of sleep himself. With her in his arms it felt so good he doubted he would ever wake up.

When he did wake up, he was alone in the bed. And it nearly broke him. Putting on some pants he came out of the bedroom only to find Andy curled under a comforter on the couch. He stopped dead in his tracks and sighed in relief.

Andy noticed him and looked in his direction only to see the tension leaving his body, his shoulders relaxing.

"You thought I left in the middle of the night." She said.

"Yeah." He admitted.

"I wouldn't do that." Andy told him softly.

"Is everything okay?" He asked her.

"I'm cold." She said.

"Come back to bed." He answered and she chuckled.

"Smooth." She teased him and it was his turn to chuckle. Nevertheless Andy got up and followed him to the bedroom. She had put on his t-shirt before so she crawled under the covers with him, pressing her back to his front, letting him warm her up.

"What were you thinking about back there?" He asked softly.

"Our options."

"And what did you come up with?"

"Not much."

"Andy…"

"Look I…" She wanted to say something but didn't really know how.

"Just tell me." He asked her softly. Andy turned in his arms so she was facing him.

"I like you. I care about you and I want to get to know you better." She admitted and was proud of herself that it didn't sound half as stupid as it did in her head.

Instead of saying something back he kissed her again. She smiled.

"But I don't think I can do what Vic and Ripley did. And I don't think we should." She told him what really troubled here.

"So you were thinking about our options." He clarified.

"Yes."

"And?"

"I've got nothing." She admitted sadly.

"But you want to get to know me better." He replied and she agreed. "So we can do that. We can get to know each other better and wait and see."

"You think we'll manage that?"

"I don't know." He replied honestly. "But I care about you too and I don't want to lose you, Andy." He told her softly.

"You won't." She replied and kissed him again. Soon they fell asleep, together, holding each other, feeling safe and happy even with the lingering shadow of their unsure future. But at least they were in it together.

In the morning Andy woke up as somebody was kissing her neck. It took her a moment to recall the events of the previous night and day and when she did, she sighed happily. Without a word she turned around and kissed him passionately. And this time it was all about passion.

"I'll take a shower and start making some breakfast, okay?" He asked.

"And what should I do?"

"Nothing." He said lovingly, kissed her and got up from the bed. This time he didn't put on any pants so Andy enjoyed the view quite a lot. This apartment had only one bathroom so he had to walk there. Oh what a view that was. Andy stretched on the bed lazily and still couldn't believe it was actually happening.

When she heard him walk down the hall to the living room and kitchen, she got up and went to take a shower herself. When she walked in it smelled like him in there and it hit her square in the chest. She loved that smell. Damned!

When they met a bit later, he was preparing breakfast only in his pants, barefoot and bare-chested. Andy stopped by the kitchen counter, watching him openly, not ashamed one bit about it. He noticed her and what she was doing and smiled at her. She smiled back and when he put down the knife she moved over and sneaked her arms around him from behind, laying her face on his back, inhaling his scent and enjoying his warmth.

"If you keep this up, Andy…" He warned her.

"Well you shouldn't stand here looking like this." She answered playfully and he had to grin. He wasn't used to this side of her but damn he loved it.

He was a grown man, he could tell when he was developing a crush on someone. And he could tell when it was turning to more. But like it happened to him before, he had no idea he was falling for a woman until it was too late. And it was too late now. He was in so deep he doubted he could go back.

They had their breakfast together, including a smoothie he made. Then the awkward moment came.

"So what now?"

"Now I have to go home."

"What will you tell Bishop?"

"That I just got back from San Diego. That you found me and talked me into coming back. And I'll tell her about Ryan." Andy said.

"You're gonna lie to your best friend?" He asked disbelievingly but kept on smiling.

"I'm not lying. You did found me." She smiled at him innocently.

"She'll know you're not telling her everything." He pointed out.

"I will tell her, probably, one day. But not now."

"I see." He said, not sure what to think about it.

"I want to keep this for myself for a bit. I need to enjoy it. It's too new to share." She clarified and walking over to him, she kissed him. He kissed back.

"I'll see you later, all right?"

"Sure, I'll be stopping by at the Station at some point."

"Or we can grab coffee and just talk, like we used to."

"Just coffee and talk?" He asked.

"Yeah. I think we should not do this again till we figure it out." She told him sadly. But she was right and he knew it.

"I agree." He said.

"You do?"

"Yeah. We'd be playing with fire." He said and she giggled. He walked her to the door and just before she opened it she turned back and he had her pinned against the wall with one last kiss.

"Thank you." She said then.

"For what?" He didn't understand.

"For bringing me home." Andy replied, opened the door, grabbed her back and left.

* * *

_A/N: One more to go folks... one more and that's it. Are you curious? I wante to write their talk a bit differently than before given the time that passed. Did you like it? Just imagine him standing there only dressed in pants, cooking for her. Aaaach._


	19. Missing kiss

If it wasn't for her bag, Andy would have walked home and enjoyed the walk. She felt so happy she just kept on smiling. Everything felt okay and so good at that moment she could barely comprehend it. Did it all really happen? It was like a dream and yet so much better. She knew that it would be complicated and right now more or less nonexistent but Robert was … well he was special. And she meant what she had said. She wanted to get to know him better. On so many levels.

Andy got home and knew Maya was at the Station so she at least had some time to figure out how to play this. She wanted to tell her everything and yet she wanted to keep it a secret. She needed to keep this – to keep him – to herself just for a moment. But after what happened between her and her best friend because of Gibson she just didn't want to lie to her about something so important. So she had to tell her something.

Getting home she found the apartment empty. So she unpacked, turned on the washing machine, cleaned up her stuff and checking the fridge she found absolutely nothing to eat for lunch. Well she could grab a bite outside but if she had to face Maya and talk to her in the evening, she definitely needed some food.

It was hard not to remember the last meal she had. Well the last and the one before. Before she could stop herself she got lost in her memories. And to her surprise her body reacted to some particularly good memories. God she missed him already. Okay, that was just the endorphins. That would pass.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, she thought and smiled. Whatever. She'll handle it.

She had a lazy day. She prepared some dinner for her and Maya and waited for her to come back from work. When Maya came, she was surprised to see her there.

"Hey!"

"Hi."

"You should have told me you were coming back." Maya told her.

"I knew you'd be at work." Andy replied and Maya had to admit that she was right.

"Something smells nice." Maya said and walked over to the kitchen area. She checked and found soup and salad and some baked dried tomatoes with cheese and olives in the oven.

"Okay now you're scaring me." Maya told her, her enthusiastic smile turning into a worried one.

"Why?"

"Because we would normally order in but you cooked which means you have some big news. I should sit down." Maya said and Andy had to grin.

"Go change and I'll tell you everything."

"Well if I knew you'd be coming home I wouldn't have told Vic to come over."

"Oh, okay. Doesn't matter." Andy retreated.

"No no no no, don't even think about it. You're telling me everything about Sullivan right now." Maya instructed her, leaned against the center counter in the kitchen and watched Andy intensely.

"Okay. What do you want to know?" Andy gave up for the moment.

"Well everything." Maya looked at her like she was crazy for even asking.

"He came to San Diego, he found me at the address I gave you."

"And?" Maya asked and took a bite of the salad that was there in a bowl ready to be served.

"And we talked."

"That's all? You're kidding right?"

"Well it was a long conversation. But we are good now." Andy said and smiled.

"Good as…?" Maya couldn't believe it. "Come on, Andy, spill it already." She pleaded.

"We're okay. We agreed to get to know each other better." Andy continued and noticed how frustrated Maya seemed. Well…

"You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"Because that guy has it bad for you no matter what you try to tell me."

"Maya…"

"Oh no, don't tell me to leave it because I'm not doing it."

"Maya." Andy tried again.

"He was so jealous to find out you went to see Tanner. And so hurt when you said you couldn't face him."

"Yeah, I know. I figured that much. Thanks." Andy said back.

"So you're not telling me." Maya accused her best friend. "Something happened between you two and now you're letting my imagination go really wild, you know that, right?" She tried a different approach.

"Trust me that even your imagination can't get close to what happened." Andy said with a smile and turned around to take out the tomatoes from the oven. Maya had to grin.

"Okay so just tell me one thing."

"What thing?"

"Are you okay?" Maya asked really concerned.

"Yes. I am okay. Really." Andy answered and quickly hugged her friend. Maya knew there was more to it but she let it be. For that moment. Andy will tell her once she's ready. She wasn't trying to keep it a secret, they both knew that Maya could tell and Andy didn't deny anything actually.

"I'll grab a quick shower before Vic's here and we'll have a girls night." Maya said and Andy agreed.

It wasn't long before Vic came. When Andy opened the door Vic was surprised to see her.

"Back so soon? Did Tanner kick you out already?" Vic asked as she came inside and took off her jacket. Andy was puzzled.

"What…?"

"Oh come on, Herrera. Four months ago we came back from a hiking trip and you left your gear in my garage. I distinctly remember telling you to leave it there till we go next time."

"Damn." Andy said as she knew that right now she was pretty much screwed.

"So seeing you all sad and thinking about something way too much I figured you needed the time away. Gibson might let it slide as a hiking trip but come on, Herrera, I'm not Gibson." Vic said as she stopped in the kitchen.

"Something smells good."

"Andy cooked. Let's eat." Maya said as she just came out of the shower in fresh change of clothes. The girls took the food to the table.

"So. Spill." Vic said and Maya looked at Andy triumphantly. Of course Andy wouldn't say a word about Sullivan going to San Diego but she could at least tell them the rest of the story.

"Okay. Yes, I went to see Tanner. But not because I missed him or anything but because he called and asked for help."

"Troubles in paradise with that cop already?" Vic asked.

"No. It had something to do with his father."

"Oh crap." Maya said as she could see where this was going.

"He left Ryan some money. Said it was clean but it wasn't. And Ryan used it. So the bad guys went after him and after some threats there was a shooting."

"Is he okay?" Vic asked.

"Jenna is dead. She got shot and didn't make it. And they tried to kill Ryan afterwards again, it was a hit and run car crash." Andy said and looked at Maya with plea in her eyes not to ask too many questions.

"He was in the hospital when I left but he was going to make full recovery. He was just giving statement to the cops about the whole thing. He didn't want me there."

"Wow so camping trip would have been better idea, no?" Vic asked and they all laughed.

As the evening progressed they opened a bottle of wine and had a good time. And one point Vic mentioned Sullivan stopping by at the Station.

"So he should be back soon."

"That's good." Andy said.

"I'm not sure about Gibson's point of view. Do you know anything, Bishop?"

"He can't wait to give him the office back. He hates the paperwork." Maya replied and they laughed.

Andy was a bit lost in her own little world.

"And how's that mysterious guy, huh?" Vic asked her.

"What guy?"

"The you can't save my life and hurt me and call to apologize guy." Vic tried to clarify. Andy had to take a sip. Talking to Maya was one thing but talking to Vic was another.

"We talked." Andy said in the end.

"And?"

"And we just talked, cleared the air and we might be good friends." Andy said and she wasn't lying. That was good.

Vic didn't say anything else but it was clear she had her own opinion about this topic. She kept on glancing at Andy, trying to read her better.

"How are you, huh?" Andy asked Vic as they didn't talk much about her.

"Well, crappy but better."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean I still miss him but it's getting better." Vic assured them. "And I meet Jennifer from time to time."

"It's great that you two are still in touch."

"It was so hard on her, he was her only family."

"It was hard on both of you." Maya said and Vic could only agree.

"The other day she asked about Sullivan actually." Vic said. "Do you guys know something about him seeing someone?" She asked as she thought that maybe they could know something. "Jennifer seemed concerned about him." She added and as she was looking at Maya she totally missed Andy's panicked look.

"Oh I don't know, he hasn't mentioned anything when he was at the Station."

"Not even to Gibson?"

"Why would he mention something to Gibson?"

"I don't know, they're men." Vic shrugged and the girls laughed.

"Well he's pretty private guy." Maya said and had to try really hard not to give anything away.

"Yeah…" Vic agreed and as she was tired she completely missed how Andy looked during this part of the conversation. If she had looked her way maybe she would have figured it all out.

They had a nice evening, talking about small things, laughing and enjoying their time. But as they had to go to work the other day they stopped early so they could get some good night's sleep. Vic crashed on the couch and when Andy was leaving the bathroom she met Maya who just smiled at her.

"What?"

"Told you."

"Told me what?"

"He has it bad." Maya said and left Andy standing there. Oh boy only if she knew!

On the other side of the town Sullivan had a calm but very lonely day. He hasn't felt like this in ages. He couldn't really remember. One part of him was caught by surprise with all this. That little part that believed he would always care only about his wife. But it seemed like he finally did let go of the past. And not just in that hospital room where Luke died but at home too.

He had to schedule some appointments because of his evaluation that should take place in about two weeks. And in the afternoon he got a call from Jennifer so he met her for coffee. And she immediately noticed the change. They were walking outside in the park.

"You're not gonna tell me?" She asked him softly.

"About what?"

"About her." Jennifer replied with a knowing smile.

"Who said anything about a woman? I'm just glad my leg is better. If all goes well in two or three weeks I'll be back at the office and in couple more back in the field." He replied.

"And I'm sure you're really happy about it but don't forget that I know you, Robert Sullivan." She used her 'don't mess with me brother' voice and he had to chuckle.

"So? What?"

"So I'm just asking. Because I care." She said softly.

"I know you do."

"And I promised that to Luke."

"What did you promise him?"

"To keep an eye on you so you would have someone to love again." She said and Sully couldn't meet her eyes. It took him some time to find the right answer for that question.

"There's someone I care about."

"Robert…" She was clearly happy for him.

"But it's not easy and we have a lot to figure out." He admitted.

"Oh no, she's from the department, isn't she? You're just like Luke."

Sully could only grin at that, he chuckled and took a sip of his coffee.

"He would have a good laugh about me." He said.

"He wanted you to be happy." Jennifer said and he knew she was right.

"You should have heard the speech I gave him when he told me about Hughes." Sully said and Jennifer smiled sadly.

"Robert…" Jennifer wanted to say something.

"Yes?"

"Don't do the same thing my brother did. If you care about her then just do it the right way." She told him and nodded.

"I will."

"I know he loved Vic but the whole thing was just messy."

"Yeah, it caught him by surprise."

"It did indeed. And I'm glad it did because he was so happy."

"So was she." Robert said and Jennifer smiled at him.

"Are you two still in touch?"

"Ocassionaly, yes. We both need it I guess." Jennifer admitted.

"That's good, Jen. She's really nice." He said and didn't know what to say anymore. Jennifer kept on watching him, trying to read him.

"So you really care about her." She said matter-of-factly in couple of silent minutes.

"Yeah, I care about her a lot. More than I thought I ever could."

"Oh, Robert…" She felt sympathy for him. It had to be nice and yet difficult.

"But you're right, she's from the department, lower rank so…" He said sadly, clearly unhappy about it.

"But she wants you too, right?" She asked and he only laughed. Leave it to that woman indeed.

"Yeah, I think she does."

"So you'll find a way. I have no doubts." She told him and squeezed his hand in silent support.

"Will you tell me more now or later?" She asked then and he smiled at her and didn't reply at all. Instead he asked about her life so she proceeded to tell him.

He was very tempted to call her in the evening but didn't know if he should. Damn it was a long time since he had been in this position the last time. What was he supposed to do?

He knew he would get to see her soon, Tuesday probably as he had one of his evaluations on Monday and wanted to stop by at the Station on Tuesday so he could talk to Gibson and call the Chief to decide how to proceed.

He was saved from his misery when his phone beeped with incoming message.

"Your favorite movie?" Was all there it was. He chuckled and typed in the response. He waited anxiously if she would reply back. Which she did.

"Why are you asking?" He asked then. "Getting to know you better." Was her reply and he leaned back on the couch and smiled. She meant it. He was really tempted to ask her out but knew that grabbing a coffee outside work was one thing and going to the cinema completely another. As he didn't reply she sent him another message. "Tomorrow it's your turn to ask. Night. A."

It warmed him all the way to his heart. He could do this. He really could.

Andy came back to work the next day and asked Gibson to talk to him. She decided to come out clean. He appreciated her honesty but told her not to do this again. That he would have given her the days off if she had told him the real reason. She wasn't so sure about it.

"Andy what is this about, really?" He asked then.

"I needed to sort something out."

"Personal?"

"Yeah." She said.

"Do I have to worry?"

"As my friend or Captain?" She asked back.

"Both. Or you pick." He answered back with a smile. "You know you can trust me, right?"

"I know, Jack. And I'm sorry."

"Okay… welcome back then." He said and she thanked him for putting her back to the rooster.

"Andy?" He called her name when she was leaving the office.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay now?" He asked, concerned.

"I am. Really." She answered and tried to assure him that she was telling the truth. And Jack either saw it there in her eyes or decided to drop it but he just nodded and let her walk away.

Days went by and everything ran smoothly.

Sullivan got a good evaluation so he could come back and do the desk job for the time being before his leg would be absolutely fit to pass the physical evals so he could get back to the field. He spent two days with Gibson in the office going through everything that happened during the time he was away. They talked through all of it and Gibson was really glad that man got back.

He barely saw Andy during those days as she was on calls most of the time.

The first day he stepped back to the Station he met Hughes and Montgomery down at the reception. They welcomed him.

"Will you have breakfast with us, Sir?" Hughes asked him and he wanted to decline but then he noticed how Montgomery was looking at him so she decided to step out of his comfort zone once more. These people were worth it.

"Why not, thanks." He said.

"Great." Vic replied and walked ahead up the stairs.

Montgomery went with Sullivan. He was so curious about that woman Sullivan talked about before but he didn't want to ask.

"Something on your mind, Montgomery?" Sullivan asked, knowing full well that the answer was yes.

"Just wondering how things are going, Sir." He replied. "Well damned, how are you?" He added then as he realized that there was no point in tip-toeing around it.

"I'm good, Montgomery."

"Good as I got over it or good as I got the chance to apologize and explain?" He was soo curious!

"We talked. And we're good." Sullivan said and Montgomery noticed the far-away look his Captain had. Oh boy that man was lost. He had to admit that he was really excited for him. But also his head couldn't stop thinking about that woman. Who the hell was she?

He would have asked more but they reached the beanery and so they got to the preparations. Everybody came in that morning and it was nice and easy going. Andy felt a bit awkward but when she was handing him the coffee, she smiled at him and it was enough for him to know that things would be okay around here.

In the next four weeks everything was okay at Station 19. Sullivan was back on duty, back in the field. Vic was happier and happier, spending more time with Travis and everyone could see the light was coming back to her eyes. Pruitt stopped by occasionally and enjoyed the warm atmosphere the Station had once again. He also noticed how happy his daughter seemed to be and was glad for it.

Whatever's been bothering her, was gone. He could just stand on the bridge and listen to the friendly bickering of his people, to the little inside jokes and teasing. He liked it. A lot. Those were his people. And he was grateful that he had made that call a long time ago to suggest Sullivan for the new Captain of 19.

Andy and Sullivan seemed to be getting along well. If anybody noticed something being different, they kept it to themselves. Even Maya stopped asking as she could see her friend was happy and that Sullivan seemed to be okay as well. She couldn't stop wonder about them though. One evening when Andy seemed a little lost in thought she asked her about him.

"So you two. What is going on? Really?"

"Maya I told you already. We're just friends, getting to know each other."

"And that's enough for you?" She couldn't believe it. Andy for the first time admitted the truth.

"It's not. But it's all we can have right now." Maya was speechless at that admission. Andy apologized, said she was tired and left for bed. It left Maya thinking though. She was sure that Sullivan wanted Andy as much as she wanted him but they both wanted to stay at 19 and with their ranks… well damn.

After those four weeks on Wednesday the Chief came to the Station 19. He found Sullivan talking to his people about something in the beanery. He was glad that man made it out okay and that he changed his well known policy of not eating with the crew and keeping real distance from his people.

"Chief." Sullivan noticed him.

"Morning. Sorry to disturb you. Can I have a word?" He asked.

"Sure." Sullivan agreed and they went to his office. They sat down and Sullivan waited for the bomb to drop.

"Look, I'll get right to it."

"Okay. What is going on?" Sullivan asked.

"Captain of 21 is moving to a different state because his wife got a job there. I approved his transfer."

"All right." So far he wasn't following but he feared that the Chief came to tell him he would transfer him as well – from 19 to 21.

"His Lieutenant, Charlie Dell, got promoted to Captain and he'll run 21 with a bit of supervision first but he's got the experience and skill so I don't expect any problems." The Chief said. Sullivan didn't say anything and waited.

"I know Ripley approved of 19 having three Lieutenants and I'm sorry to break your team but one of yours will have to transfer to 21."

"Who?" Sullivan asked as he took in the information.

"Your call. All three are good and have the experience. So you choose." The Chief told him and knew that it was hard but necessary.

"Can I talk to them first? Let them have their say about it?" Sullivan asked after a moment.

"Sure, I don't see a problem with that. I need to know by Friday and the transfer will be effective by Monday." The Chief told Sullivan who just nodded.

"Thank you." Sullivan said and the Chief left with a nod.

Sullivan knew that this would crash his people but could also understand the need behind it. So he didn't waste any time and as his people were still in the beanery, just finishing up and ready to start their day, he came to them.

"Listen up." He said and they all stopped in their actions and looked at him.

"I just got a word. Captain of 21 is transferring out of state and his Lieutenant is being promoted to Captain to run 21. Which means they're in need of experienced Lieutenant." He said and they all looked at each other. They knew what that meant.

"Herrea, Gibson, Bishop. One of you will be transferring to 21 starting Monday." He announced and knew that this was just one big crappy surprise.

"Who, Sir?" Maya asked worriedly.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Gibson asked back.

"I told the Chief I needed to talk to you first. I honestly don't want to order any of you to go so I want you to think about it, weight your options and then come to me. I need to let him know Friday morning." He finished and dared to look at Andy for a second. He saw the shock on her face and couldn't stand it. With a nod he left the beanery and let his people get to work. Besides he needed a moment. At this point being Captain sucked.

There was a heavy silence in the beanery before the dispatch called for the Engine and Aid Car and their day started. Neither talked about the information from the morning.

Gibson knew he should go because he was the senior of them. But boy he didn't want to leave 19.

Bishop thought it should be her because she was the one to transfer to 23 before. And also Jack needed 19, it was his home and Andy… Andy had 19 in her blood.

But it was Andy who thought about it the most and not even in an hour she knew she'd be one to go. When they all met back at the Station in the evening, Andy came to Maya.

"Hey, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." Maya answered.

"Look, Maya, about the transfer…"

"I know it should be me." Maya jumped in. Andy just smiled at her sadly.

"No, it will be me."

"You? No way." Maya argued back.

"Yes, me. Jack needs Miller and he needs this space because it keeps him going."

"I know. But I was the one to transfer to 23, remember?"

"I do of course but …"

"But what?"

"I wanted an option, Maya. And this is one."

"You're seriously telling me you want to transfer to 21 so you could get involved with… him?" Maya asked only half believing it.

"I also think that you can make fine Captain very soon and that our Captain has a lot to teach you so you should stay around him to learn. You're the best already and with him you can be even better. Besides Vic needs the support. You have to stay here."

"Andy, this is your home."

"It was, yes. But it's time to move on." Andy said and Maya could tell she had already decided. Andy looked around before saying anything else.

"Please."

"Are you sure?" Maya was concerned.

"Absolutely." Andy said and Maya hugged her.

"So go and tell him." Maya said then and Andy smiled.

"Oh and let me know when you tell your dad." Maya teased and Andy suddenly looked like a deer caught in the headlight. Damn. That was going to be really hard.

Andy walked to Sullivan's office and after knocking she entered and told him about her decision. He didn't want to approve but then she looked at him in a way she tried not to when they were around people.

"I want to do this. I am sure." She said and smiled and he couldn't find a single threat of worry in her face.

"I'll miss you. We all will."

"I'll be stopping by, don't worry." She teased back. He chuckled.

"Okay then. I'll let the Chief know."

"Thank you." She said and with a nod she opened the door to leave.

"Herrera. Does your dad know?" He asked but she didn't answer. Well that was going to be one interesting conversation.

Andy told the others about her decision the next day and although Gibson wanted to argue, Maya stopped him. So he didn't. They all told her they would miss her but soon they were joking about it and knowing that they would still get to see each other from time to time.

Andy knew she should tell her father before he heard from somebody else but she didn't really know how to tell him. So she called him and asked if she could come over on Sunday for lunch. And so they had a nice time.

"So what is really going on, hija?" He asked as he knew her well enough to know she had something on her mind.

"I'm transferring out of 19, dad." She said and he thought she was joking.

"Why? Did Sullivan throw you out? I thought he was finally getting along with you all."

"Relax, dad. He didn't. He actually didn't want me to be the one to go." She said and then explained the whole thing to him including her reasons for wanting Jack and Maya to stay at 19. And surprisingly her dad agreed.

"I'm not happy but I understand."

"Thank you, dad." Andy said and debated with herself if she should tell him about Sullivan in advance.

"What is it on your mind?" He asked as he could read her well.

"There's one more thing and I know you're not going to like it." She said worried.

"What is it?" He asked and waited for something huge and terrible.

"Dad I grew close to someone during the past weeks, well months."

"I noticed."

"You did?"

"I may be old but I'm not blind." He told her and she felt relief.

"I thought you would be against it. I'm so glad. We didn't do anything, I promise, dad. We wanted to wait till he was not my Captain and with this opening coming it just all fell into place." She said with a sincere smile that changed into worry as she noticed the shock on her father's face.

"Your Captain?" He asked carefully.

"Oh damn." She cursed. Her dad started to curse in Spanish and she just waited for him to finish.

"Dad. Please."

"I can't believe this." He said.

"Dad, please. I really care about him. And I want to do this." She said and gathered her things.

"I don't need you to agree with it but I wanted you to know because I love you." She said and left his apartment hoping he would understand one day.

Monday morning Andy got some good luck wishes from her friends. She came to Station 21 and her new Captain welcomed her, showed her around and introduced to the crew. She knew some of them. They were friendly. She knew it would take time for them to get used to each other but she felt good about this decision.

The day passed quickly, in the morning one of the crew, Dave Dixon showed her around and told her about the rhythm of the 21. She joined them on three calls and although she was nervous, the crew was friendly. The Chief was there on Monday to help with everything and it was actually a pretty good day.

The crew took her out for a beer to celebrate and welcome her, it was on her to pay of course but she enjoyed the time with them. They were not 19 but they were good people and it seemed she could be happy there at some point. She just needed to get used to the change.

In the evening she got a call from Maya. Gibson asked her out and as Miller was with Nikki over at her place she wanted to know if Andy was okay with being alone after her first day out of 19. Andy didn't mind one bit.

Straight from the bar she took a taxi and didn't give the driver her address but Sullivan's. He didn't know she was coming. It was one of those spur of the moments kind of things but she realized that she was free to come and free to stay if he wanted her to.

When she rang the bell she wasn't sure if he would let her in. She was so nervous she could turn around and run away. But the door opened and she made her way up to his apartment. She knocked at the half opened door and stepped inside.

"Robert?" She called as she took off her jacket.

"Hey." He said as he walked to her. Without saying anything else he grabbed her and kissed her. She kicked the door shut and kissed him back with everything that was in her. She needed him and she needed him badly.

When they came up for air he she rested her forehead against his.

"I missed you."

"Tell me about it."

"I'm sorry I didn't call first I just…" She started to explain but he cut her off with another kiss. She smiled at him.

"You hungry?" He asked softly.

"Yes." She said but with that look she gave him he only grinned at her and kissed her again. They literally left trail of clothes from the door to the bedroom. Food could wait. They smiled and laughed and kissed and made love.

When the morning came he had to leave early so they had to get up early as well. They parted but kept on smiling. Andy went home to change. Then she realized that she didn't get to kiss him goodbye in the morning as they were in such rush. Well, she got an idea.

Taking her stuff she checked the time and knew she had time to spare before she had to be at 21. So she went to 19 instead. They welcomed her warmly, asking about her first day and they all laughed and joked. Sullivan had a meeting with a new member of the crew when she arrived so she didn't even get to greet him. So they met up in the beanery as she agreed to grab a bite and some coffee before having to leave for her shift at 21.

Sullivan came, greeted them and when he noticed her he was sure he felt heat all over his body. Damn he was lost.

"How did it go, Sir?"

"She'll be here tomorrow as a new member of 19." He told them and Andy realized that as she didn't get to talk to Maya yesterday she didn't really know what was going on. And well with Robert they had different topics to talk about than this.

Sullivan took his breakfast and sat down at the table.

"What brings you by anyway, Herrera?" Miller said. "Missed us already?" He joked.

"Yeah, actually. And I didn't get to kiss my boyfriend this morning." She said and they all aaawed and oooohed. Maya looked like she could jump in excitement. Before thinking about it twice Andy walked over to Sullivan and gently kissed him. That shut everyone up.

"I did kiss you." He said afterwards, softly, pretending he didn't get to feel all those eyes upon them.

"Didn't kiss me goodbye though." She smiled at him.

"Sorry. Won't happen again." He replied and Andy kept on smiling. She checked the time.

"Damn I have to go." She said, walked over to the sink, put her mug there, grabbed her back and wanted to leave.

"Hey, wait." Sullivan said and got up to walk over to her. "You're seriously gonna leave me here alone with them?"

"You'll handle it, Captain." She teased him. She looked at her friends.

"I'll see you later, guys." She said, raised up on her toes, kissed Sullivan again and left. Oh he would pay her back later, she was sure of that. And she couldn't wait.

_A/N Sorry, it got out of hand!_


End file.
